30 Kisses: Takagi and Satou
by sapphirestars
Summary: From the LJ challenge, 30 kisses and 30 themes for our favorite officers. New Chapter... finally, I know.
1. Ubiquitous Question

**Title:** Ubiquitous Question  
**Author/Artist:** sapphirestars  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #13 excessive chain  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

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Without fail, through rain or shine, Detective Satou Miwako found herself at her annual family reunion.

And without fail, Satou would find herself clutching her steering wheel in murderous irritation on the drive back to her Tokyo home. And why, after such a nice event, would the detective feel like offing her entire family?

Well, first there was the issue of her outfit. Satou only wore skirts to work and those were knee-length. Otherwise, she was a jeans and t-shirts kind of gal. Currently, she was all dolled up in a dress, heels and makeup. She would have worn pants but her mother had insisted on the dress.

But Satou would have let her attire slide if it hadn't gone downhill from there.

Without fail, Satou had once again been asked the famous question by her relatives:

_Why aren't you married yet?_

Satou snarled as she drove considerably faster than the speed limit. It was the constant query; Satou had been assaulted by some form of that question since her adolescence.

When she was thirteen subtle comments were made about Satou's status 'on the market.'

When she was sixteen, Aunt Yoko had asked her "Miwako-chan, why don't you have a boyfriend yet?" Satou had nearly popped a vein and told her _dear_ aunt that she was far too busy with her studies to concern herself with a hormonally driven idiot. Well, scratch that, she had simply said boy.

When she was eighteen, she had signed up for the police academy, intent to follow in her father's footsteps. At that year's family reunion, Uncle Hideko had wondered why on earth she wanted to be a police officer. She ought to be going about getting herself a man. Uncle Hideko had very nearly gotten a right hook to the jaw.

When she had turned twenty-three and was promoted to the criminal 1st investigation unit, Satou had announced the news at that reunion. She had received applause, cheers and the inevitable "That's lovely, dear! Maybe there you'll find a nice young man to marry!"

Her promotion at twenty-five to assistant inspector had earned her sighs and an "I know a nice young doctor!" from her grandmother.

But Satou was now twenty-eight and, after having refused the match-up with Shiratori-kun her mother had forced upon her, Satou's relatives were getting restless. There had been a number of strange young men at this year's celebration. All of whom were recruited especially for Satou. There were all kinds of possibilities: tall men, short men, brunettes, blondes, young, old, funny, stupid, arrogant and humble…all at Satou's feet, and kissing the ground she walked on. Needless to say, Satou had taken one look at the situation, cast her mother a dirty look and proclaimed loudly "You are all insane! Certifiably insane!" She had then slammed the door behind her.

Satou would have brought her mother (seeing as they lived together) but she was staying with the family for a week.

She loved her family; she really did. She knew they meant well. But how could a young woman be expected to endure hours of "Why aren't you dating?" without pulling out some sort of weapon?

Besides Satou didn't have time to date. Police officers were on call 24/7. She was there to work very hard for the sake of peace in the city.

Satou made a sharp right as she entered the vicinity of her apartment building. Turning off the ignition and slamming the door shut, she trudged up the stairs to her floor. Kicking off her heels and heading to her closet, Satou pulled out a pair of sweats before changing.

Five minutes later, Satou headed to the couch with a cup of ramen in her hand and a blanket. Switching the TV on, she found a late-night drama and settled in…the many suitors long forgotten.

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It was Monday morning when Satou reported in for work. Juggling some paperwork, Satou proceeded to head to her desk. "Miwako-chan!"

Satou looked up. "Yes?" she asked, holding in a laugh over at Yumi's giddiness. "What is it?"

Yumi took a seat next to her friend. "So, how was the reunion? Did you have fun?" Satou frowned and stood. "I think we should get to work, don't you? After all, crime never sleeps!" Yumi narrowed her eyes. "Miwako…" she replied warningly. Heaving a sigh, Satou sat back down. "It was _terrible_. My crazy family brought in all these guys for me!"

"Why exactly are you complaining?"

"Yumi! I don't need a man! And that's all I heard for the fifteen minutes I was there! 'Miwa-chan, why aren't you married yet?' 'Miwako, dear, look at this nice young man…he's a doctor!'… I decided to just leave."

"Was the doctor cute at the very least?" Yumi leaned in eagerly.

"Yumi, focus. His cuteness or lack thereof, is not the point. They're crazy! The whole lot of them. And, hey, don't spread this around ok? It's so embarrassing!" Satou blushed and shuffled her papers. _God knows what Takagi-kun would think!_

"Of course not!" Yumi beamed. "My lips are sealed!" She replied, crossing her fingers behind her back. "Well, time to go out for traffic duty, see ya Miwako-chan!" Satou shook her head as she watched the younger girl very nearly skip out. Turning on her computer, she began to input data from her latest report.

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On the other side of the room, Takagi Wataru was watching a certain raven-haired, blue-eyed female detective. She also happened to be his superior and two years older. But even though Takagi was fairly mild-mannered, he was never one to back down from a challenge…even if his hands were prone to nervous shaking.

"Takagi-kun!" He turned and came face to face with Yumi. "Yumi-san? What is it?"

She grinned conspiratorially. "I've got something to tell you!" Takagi raised an eyebrow at the woman's antics. "Do you?"

"Uh-huh. I've already told a few of Satou's other suitors _but_ I figured you should know that this past weekend, Satou's family set up a huge match-up for her!"

"WHAT!" Takagi shouted.

"SHH! Keep it down! I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."

Takagi's eyes narrowed. "It's good to know that you have such discretion."

Yumi scowled and turned to walk away. "I guess I should share my information with Shiratori-kun. He might appreciate it more than you."

Takagi reached for her arm. "Wait! I'm sorry! Tell me, tell me!" Yumi acquiesced and continued. "Well, turns out her family brought in a whole bunch of 'eligible young men' for her to consider. The fifteen minutes that she spent at the reunion were filled with questions about her marital status."

"Wow, poor Satou-san." Takagi imagined her shock at having been accosted by several men. He then couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of her storming out. _Well, at least she's not interested in them._

"Takagi-kun, are you listening?"

Takagi's head shot up. "Huh? Yes, yes I am."

Yumi regarded him suspiciously before nodding her head. "Good. Now you better act fast because I bet word's gotten around. I'm sure Shiratori-kun would love to be her sympathetic ear." She grinned and sauntered off.

Takagi stared after and shook his head. "She takes pleasure in all of this, doesn't she?"

When he turned to watch Satou again, he noticed she was absent from her seat. Setting out to look for her, he ignored the dozens of officers who were doing the same.

Walking through the police department, Takagi could vaguely hear other officers calling out to each other.

"Nope, she's not here!"

"Ask Megure-keibu! Maybe he sent her out on a case!"

"Without Takagi? No way. Maybe Shiratori-kun's talking to her?"

The last comment in particular intensified Takagi's search. But forty minutes and a few errands later, Takagi had yet to come across his favorite detective.

Slouching into the break room, he headed to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. Sitting at the table, he cupped his chin in his hand and wondered just where Satou had disappeared to.

"Takagi-kun! _There_ you are! Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!" Satou Miwako stood at the doorway, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Satou-san! I was looking for you too!" Takagi stood up quickly and nearly knocked over his coffee. "Oh…damn."

Satou rolled her eyes and headed towards him. "Careful. Megure-keibu has an assignment for us. We have to head out and investigate some new lead on that bank robbery from last week. So let's go." She turned to head out.

"Uh…Satou-san? Are you all right? You seem a little upset." Takagi's brow furrowed and he took a step towards her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yumi told you."

"Uhhhh—"

"Just as I expected. I'm fine." Satou sighed and sat down. "But after a long weekend, I now have to deal with several people approaching me about what I'm looking for in a guy or even worse the common 'Really, Satou-san? You aren't seeing anyone?'"

"Oh, well-well I didn't mean to…" Takagi stammered.

"No, I know _you_ won't do that but its still a pain, which is why I was looking for you." Just then she looked straight at him and smiled. "I figured we could head out and work on that case together without anyone to bother us." Satou's face lit up as she patted his shoulder.

It took Takagi a few moments to get his pounding heart under control. Who knew his stomach could turn cartwheels like that?

"Really? So you, uh, wanted to work with me?" He very nearly squeaked. Satou gave him a puzzled smile. "Well, of course! You're my partner! Besides, I know you won't ask me why I'm not married yet. Can you imagine my leaving the force?"

"NO!" Takagi burst out. "That-that would be bad."

Satou nodded in the affirmative. "Exactly what I say!" She stood up then and Takagi pushed her chair in for her. "Oh, thanks." She blushed slightly.

Flashing a smile, Takagi shook his head. "No problem. You want some coffee before we go? We got those new travel cups."

"Y-yeah, that'd be great." Satou stuttered. _What is wrong with you? He just asked if you wanted coffee!_

"Here you go!" Takagi handed her the cup, their fingers brushed and both turned a lovely shade of crimson. "Ahhhh—"

"Heh. Yes, um…thank you." She took a sip and smiled. They both headed towards the door at the same time causing Satou to stumble backward and into Takagi. "Satou-san, are you all right?" He asked concerned as he grasped at her waist, firmly steadying her.

Satou was sure her face was as red as a tomato. She didn't need a mirror. "Fine, just fine!" She smiled weakly, trying to ignore just where his hands were.

But Takagi didn't seem to notice as he held the door open for her and then walked in step beside her.

_Miwako-chan, why aren't you married yet?_

"I just needed to find the right one!" She spoke out loud and Takagi looked at her questioningly. "The right what?"

She laughed nervously. "I needed to find the right coffee you know…right taste, the right buzz." Satou began walking at a faster pace but she glanced back at Takagi, who lengthened his stride to catch up with her. She smiled to herself and took a sip of her coffee.

_Yeah, the right one._

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The End

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A/N: Hey there! This is my first foray into Takagi and Satou. Yes, I have also jumped on the LJ challenge bandwagon but I think I'm doing it a bit differently. These two don't get the love they deserve and they're so adorable. Especially Takagi :hugs:

This goes out to **_candyland _**who's been just awesome and has provided me with plenty of inspiration for this couple.

Please Review!


	2. Hot Date

**Title:** Hot Date  
**Author/Artist:** magictruth  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #6 the space between dream and reality  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

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Takagi should have been suspicious when Shiratori gave him such a friendly hello that morning. The inspector had given him a huge grin, a friendly slap on the back and suggested that Takagi take it easy today, he was looking a little tired.

Yumi had looked upon this exchange and raised an eyebrow. "Does Shiratori-kun have a crush on you now?"

Takagi's red-faced, sputtered denials earned him a few laughs from both Yumi and Chiba. With friends like that…

The red flags and alarms should have been up and running when Shiratori showed him a photo of his twenty-three year old cousin (a petite and pretty green-eyed girl with wavy brown hair) and talked about how she was single and her professed fondness for police officers. Shiratori had mentioned that he was trying to find someone to set her up with and would Takagi give him a call if he found someone suitable? Takagi had assured him that he would.

The alarms should have been ringing loud and clear. But apparently they needed new batteries.

Takagi's naiveté was what often led to his being taken advantage of. For example, when the Shonen Tantei, namely Conan, needed to get to a case or better examine the evidence who better to rely on than the mild-mannered, easy-going Detective Takagi? That's right, they couldn't think of anyone else either.

Sometimes his lack of awareness was used by less innocent parties. In this case, it was Shiratori. But how could Takagi have known that?

The detective was now sitting at his desk, completing a police report from a recent robbery. His mind wandered off, predictably, to Satou. Where was she? She wasn't off on a case, he knew that much. She was probably at her desk, completing a report herself. She was probably twiddling her pen in her hand, looking for the right word. She was probably tucking a stray lock of hair over her ear…

"Takagi! I want you to meet my cousin!"

"AH!" Takagi jumped up startled out of his daydream. Damn. Gathering his bearings, he turned to the familiar voice of Shiratori. His eyes widened as he took in the image of the young woman standing next to him.

"You're the girl in the picture!" He cried out. The girl laughed as Shiratori raised an eyebrow. "Yes Takagi, this is my cousin, Nanakawa Rena. Rena-chan, this is the officer I mentioned Takagi Wataru."

Takagi bowed politely so he didn't notice Rena's eyes light up. "Takagi-keibu! Oh, yes, my cousin mentioned you."

Shiratori grinned widely and stepped forward to pat Takagi on the shoulder. "Takagi, I'm swamped with reports today and I was hoping you could give my cousin a bit of a tour. She's not from this part of Tokyo so I wouldn't want her to get lost."

"Oh, well, I—"

"Wonderful! I'll just tell Megure-keibu that you're doing me a favor and you're off. Have a good time!" He walked off, waving behind him, leaving Rena and Takagi alone.

Rena smiled nervously. "Sorry, I don't mean to be a burden. If you're too busy…"

Takagi shook his head. "No, its fine. Why don't we get going?"

_I just hope Shiratori only tells Megure…if Yumi finds out it'll be around the department faster than we can leave the building._

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Takagi wasn't too far from the truth. It didn't take long for the news to rage like wildfire.

"Did you hear? Takagi has a hot date!"

"Does Satou-san know?"

"No, not yet…the girl is Shiratori's cousin!"

"I heard she was a tall blonde!"

"Nah, she's a brunette but you wouldn't _believe_ the set of—"

"Ahem!" Satou entered the break room to find ten officers slacking off way past the fifteen-minute allowance. "Back to your posts!" The officers left the room snickering and gossiping. Shaking her head, she pulled a chair out and sat down. Where was Takagi? She had walked by his desk and he was nowhere to be found. Sighing, she resolved to ask Yumi. If he had gone off on a case, she would know. That's if she wasn't on duty.

But to her fortune, Yumi stepped in at that moment. Her eyes widened, however, when she saw Satou and she tried to back out.

"Yumi? What's wrong with you?" Satou looked at her expectantly.

"N-nothing. Nothing. Sorry, just my leg it…twitched. Anyway, want some tea? I'll make it." Trying to distract Satou from her odd behavior, she busied herself looking for tea bags.

"Sure, by the way, have you seen Takagi? I was looking for him. I wanted to know if he was up to some extra investigating on that suicide last week. Something doesn't seem right." Satou's brow furrowed in concentration. Shiratori-kun had been the one to close the books on that case but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more. She assumed that Takagi had felt the same since he had been staring doubtfully when Shiratori made his proclamation.

"Oh, well, funny you should mention him. You see, Shiratori-kun needed Takagi to do a favor." Yumi began.

"What sort of favor?"

"The-kind-of-favor-where-Takagi-has-to-show-Shiratori's-pretty-cousin-around-Tokyo." Yumi's words tumbled out.

"Huh?" Satou's face grew puzzled. "What about Shiratori's cousin?"

"Did you hear about the _hot_ girl Takagi's out on a date with? I swear that guy gets all the luck! Only in my dreams would I get a girl like that! Damn!" One of the rookie officers came in at the worst possible moment. He quickly backed out as Satou's eyes went from wide to narrow, sparkling slits. A tight smile greeted Yumi. "What's this about a hot date Takagi is on?"

Yumi waived her hands frantically. "NO! No, it's not a date. Its not! Shiratori asked Takagi-kun to show his cousin around town because she was new to this part of Tokyo. That's all! There's no hot date. I promise."

"How old is she?"

"I believe I heard twenty-two."

"Is she pretty?"

"Well, um, that would depend on your definition of pretty…" Yumi began, nervously.

"Yumi. Is there any truth to that rookie officer's claim of a 'hot girl'?" Satou asked dangerously sweet.

"Well, um…yes?" Yumi squeaked. "But not as pretty as you! I swear! And besides Takagi wouldn't fall for her! He likes—" But she was cut off when Satou abruptly stood up and stalked out mumbling something about idiot men and long-legged tramps.

Yumi sighed and sat down. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of that potential explosion.

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Satou sat at her desk and typed furiously onto her computer. 'Suspect found brutally murdered.' 'Crime of passion.' Those were the phrases being typed across her computer screen. Every surrounding officer was smart enough to know that Satou knew about Takagi and Rena-san. They all had enough brains to know that to cross Satou right now would be worse than taking on a crazed bomber.

Coming to the end of her sentence. Satou leaned back and sighed. Why was she so upset anyway? It's not like they were dating…officially. Oh sure, there were signs of something but Takagi hadn't actually done anything and neither had she. Well, since they had nearly kissed (Satou turned a lovely shade of crimson) during that Tokyo bomber case a few months back. Somehow, the thought of Takagi off with some beautiful woman was driving her insane. What kind of girl was she anyway? Sure, she could be one of those shy, sweet types or she could be some sort of seductress. What of Takagi? He always seemed adorably clueless but what if that woman was enough to turn him into some sort of Romeo?

Satou found herself falling into a sort of daydream where Takagi was walking towards a tall blonde…

"_Oh, you've been so kind! Thank you for showing me around town!" The beautiful blonde girl places her hands on Takagi's shoulders, clad in a tuxedo for some odd reason. "It was no trouble! Such a lovely woman shouldn't be left alone." Takagi edge closer to her. Their faces inches apart._

"_I'm just so glad it was you who accompanied me. You're such a handsome officer…"_

"_How could I refuse such a beautiful woman?" Soon, they were enveloped in each other's arms._

_The woman's eyes drifted shut as Takagi dipped his lips over hers, in a passionate kiss. _

_Suddenly, the woman and Takagi were waking up in a bed, tangled in each other…_

That was enough to startle Satou out of her daydream…or nightmare. "Oh _hell_ no!" She snatched her keys and purse and began to walk out at top speed. "I'm off to investigate a case!" She shouted and headed for the door.

Only to be stopped by someone coming through said door. Satou ran into a tall figure, who grabbed her shoulders. "Satou-san! Careful! Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Shaking her head, Satou looked up and saw Takagi and a petite brunette. The sudden realization of the girl's identity stopped Satou cold. The girl's face lit up in a smile. "You must be Satou-keibu! I'm Nanakawa Rena. I've heard so much about you!"

"Y-you must be Shiratori-kun's…cousin?" Satou stuttered. The girl nodded appreciatively. "Yes! Takagi-keibu was just giving me a quick tour of the town. Thank you so much!" She turned to him and he waived her off. "It was nothing!"

"TAKAGI!" Inspector Megure's voice could be heard ringing down the hall. A look that said _oh crap_ passed Takagi's face as he made his apologies and sprinted towards the voice.

"He just went on and on about you today!" Rena smiled gleefully. "'Satou-san is the best on the force' 'Satou-san is the smartest person I've ever met.' He also mentioned how pretty you were and turned bright red too." The girl looked at Satou knowingly.

Satou stared at the brunette. "What!" But Rena just smiled as Shiratori walked up. "You're back? So soon?" Disappointment clearly coloring his tone.

Rena rolled her eyes. "Yes, we're back. I'm not an idiot, you know. I can find my way around here just fine. Besides, I wouldn't want to keep Takagi-keibu away from his work." She threw Satou a wink and dragged her despondent cousin off.

Satou stood there confused, her mind reeling from the information just given. A few moments passed before she was able to get her brain to reboot and walk back to her desk.

_So much for tall, sexy, blondes._ Shaking her head at her own idiocy, Satou took her seat. _Envy…one of the seven deadly sins._

She was still mildly berating herself when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she locked gazes with the only guy who could succeed in making her knees go weak…without even knowing what he was doing.

Takagi smiled warmly. "Satou-san? I just ran a theory by the inspector. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me and do some investigating on that suicide case from last week."

It took a moment to tear her mind away from a whole _other_ set of daydreams before she could respond. "Right! Yes, I remember. I though that whole thing seemed off. Let's go!" Clutching the purse and keys she had never quite let go of, she headed out the door, Takagi behind her.

Moments later, they were outside heading for Satou's car. She was swinging her arms absently and didn't notice Takagi's stolen glances. "So, what were you up to today, Satou-san? Police reports?" He grinned.

Satou thought out her words carefully. "Actually, I was looking for you. But then I found out about your date."

"WHAT?" Takagi yelled and stopped in his tracks. "That wasn't a date! I was just showing her around the area. Shiratori wanted me to!"

Satou looked at him suspiciously. "Well, I guess that's true…you could have asked her out you know. She's certainly pretty."

Takagi smiled nervously and looked away. "Well, uh, I could have but it just didn't really occur to me."

Satou looked at him disbelievingly. "Really?"

Takagi got into the car beside her. "Yeah, I mean she seemed nice but, uh, I guess I just wanted to get back to work. Wouldn't want Inspector Megure to fire me!" He finished rather quickly.

Satou grinned mischievously. "I know! Can you imagine what he'd say if he knew you'd skipped off on your work to go on a date?" She slid the key into the ignition and started the car.

"Satou-san! It wasn't a date!" Takagi began to blush furiously.

"I know, I know."

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The End

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A/N: I would have had this up on Friday but I went up to see the snow in the mountains so I had no time to post!

The daydream sequence was inspired by the manga, and a conversation with **Candyland**, where Ran is always imagining Shinichi with some hot blonde…in bed. There you have it! What do you all think?

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	3. Prelude to Courtship

**Title:** Prelude to Courtship  
**Author/Artist:** sapphire stars  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #17 kHz (kilohertz)  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

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"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Takagi Wataru. Some of you may know him all ready, but in case you don't, here's the newest addition to the homicidal investigation unit!" Megure-keibu's voice rang out over the police room. Those who weren't gathered around the inspector and new addition turned their heads up to take a good look at the rookie.

He was tall with dark hair and blue eyes; his hair was a bit askew. His tie was just crooked enough and his pant just this side of wrinkled. It was nothing major but you got the feeling that he wasn't exactly a smooth operator…that and he clearly didn't have anyone to look after his appearance. His face was currently florid and it was obvious that he wasn't entirely comfortable with the attention. Most of the onlookers took a good long look, nodded and decided he'd do just fine. A few of the female officers were tossing around the word 'cute.'

"Satou-kun!" Megure called out and Satou Miwako stepped forward. "Yes, sir?" Megure smiled widely. "Satou-kun, meet your new partner!" Takagi's eyes widened as he blushed and Satou's jaw dropped. She took a moment to assess him and then turned abruptly to her superior.

"Megure-keibu..." She pulled him aside. "Sir, I really do appreciate your consideration but I don't really need a partner…"

Megure shook his head. "Nonsense, Satou-kun! Two heads are better than one and what not."

"Uh, but…sir he's a rookie!" Satou protested, trying to keep her voice low. Takagi overheard, however, and raised a brow. "Jeez, nice to meet you too…" he muttered quietly.

Megure led her further away from the crowd and explained. "Satou-kun, he may seem like a mild-mannered, inexperienced detective but I've watched him. Not only is he the most good-natured, respectful guy I've ever seen. Not only does he have a good head on his shoulders but his police reports are impeccable." He gave her a fatherly pat on the shoulder. "Trust me, Satou-kun; you'll like him just fine."

Satou hung her head and sighed. "Look what happened the last time you gave me a partner…" She muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Satou straightened her shoulder and approached the new addition to the unit. "Hello, I'm Satou Miwako but you already know that. Takagi, right? Well, let me show you around the floor and to your desk." She turned on her heel and began walking forward.

Takagi sighed and followed her. He already knew that she wasn't particularly fond of a new partner. At first glance he had been rather taken by…well, never mind that. Judging by her current demeanor, he doubted they'd be pals anytime soon.

"Chiba-kun?" He heard her call out. "This is Takagi Wataru, the new officer. He'll be taking the desk next to yours. Can you see that he gets all the supplies he needs?"

"Uh, sure, Satou-san…" He turned to Takagi. "Nice to meet you."

Takagi smiled and nodded. Satou turned and looked up at him. "I'll let you get situated. If I need you, I'll send someone to get you, ok?" Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked away. Takagi watched her walk away and shrugged his shoulders. Chiba grinned. "Wow. You have no idea how many of the men hate you right now."

Takagi's eyes widened. "What? Why do they hate me? What did I do to them?" He turned his head and looked around. He couldn't see anyone throwing invisible daggers his way…

Chiba laughed. "It's because of your partner. Satou-san is the most popular woman in the force. She's beautiful, funny, smart and probably the best detective here. Anyone of those guys would love to be in your shoes."

Takagi's eyes narrowed. "Wait. Are you one of those guys?"

Chiba shook his head rapidly. "No way! Don't get me wrong. Satou-san's a pretty woman but she's not really my type…but don't you like her?"

Takagi blushed and he sputtered incoherently for a few moments. "I, um, well she's…ah…certainly attractive but she doesn't seem to like me much. She was complaining that I would probably weigh her down."

Chiba just shook his head. "Don't worry. You seem like the kind of guy she'd like anyway."

Takagi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"Chiba-kun! Megure-keibu is looking for you!" One policewoman called out and Chiba jumped up out of his seat without answering Takagi.

------

Two weeks had passed since Takagi's introduction to the homicidal unit. He hadn't actually had much of a chance to interact with Satou. The few cases they had worked on together had been relatively simple to solve or there were many other officers around. The biggest case he'd been on had been during a flight to Los Angeles with Megure-keibu. They'd been on their way to pick up a suspect from the states when a murder had occurred on a plane. The case had actually been big news in the papers because it was solved by a teenage detective. Kudo Shinichi or something had been his name. To say that Takagi had been impressed would be an understatement.

But Takagi was currently in the break room, hoping that his coke would roll out of the machine soon because he was tired of shaking the machine. Five minutes and a swift kick when he was sure no one was around, and the coke came tumbling out. Popping the tab, he took a seat and hoped no one would bother him. Chiba had been right. For reasons unknown to him, several of the men in the force seemed to think he was target #1 concerning all affairs Satou related. Takagi was becoming increasingly wary of walking by the interrogation room…

On top of that there was no truth in any of it. Satou-san rarely looked his way and spoke to him in a formal manner when they investigated together. The rumors about his feelings for her were completely unfounded as well. Completely. All fabricated lies from the peanut gallery.

Just then Satou burst into the break room. "Takagi! Megure-keibu just called us on a robbery in progress. Let's go!" She ran out of the room without another word and Takagi jumped up after her. As they both made their way out, Takagi vaguely heard someone mention something about Satou's vest.

After jogging through the police building and sliding into Satou's patrol car, Satou filled him in on the robbery. Apparently, the robbery was occurring at the central bank: three men were holding up the bank at gunpoint. A quick-thinking young woman had dialed the police and had them listen to what was going on. The robbers were planning to take quite a bit of money and as of that moment they were still on the premises. They had back-up coming on the way but Satou and Takagi would be the first ones on the scene.

Just as Satou was driving to the bank, they witnessed the three robbers escape the bank on foot and head toward a fence. Satou raced her car forward but the last of the men was hopping over the fence just as she reached them. Jumping out of the car she called to Takagi over her shoulder. "Takagi! Stay here and wait for backup!" With that, she expertly climbed the fence and hopped over the top.

For a moment, Takagi was far too stunned over his superior's capabilities. Looking around, he had yet to see their backup arrive. He knew that Satou was more than capable of taking care of herself but he couldn't suppress the nagging feeling that he should go after her. They were _partners_ after all. As he debated the pros and cons of disobeying Satou, he was struck by a thought. Someone had mentioned a vest, Satou's vest. She didn't have it with her and the emergency dispatcher had stated that the robbers were armed.

It didn't take long for Takagi to disregard her orders and hop over the fence himself. Dropping feet first on the floor, he quickly began to make his way over to where he had seen them run. He didn't hear voices, gunshots or anything to give up their location so kept running forward, putting to full use the rigorous police training he had acquired over the years. Takagi could feel his heart racing. Surely it was going at least 50 kHz.

Just as he thought he might have lost them, Takagi heard a gun fired and he raced forward to find Satou firing a warning shot. He spotted two men coming forward with their hands in the air after dropping their guns on the floor. He sighed in relief until he remembered the third man, who was out of Satou's eyeshot. As Satou approached the two that had surrendered, the third approached her from behind. Surveying quickly, Takagi circled around unnoticed (he did have stake-out training after all). Just as the undiscovered thief raised the gun behind Satou's head, Takagi shot forward and tackled him to the ground, a shot fired into the air.

Satou whirled around in surprise. "Takagi!" But she turned back just in time to see the two would-be surrenders reach for their guns. She shot at them both. "Don't touch them! Get back and face the wall, both of you!" Takagi struggled with the third gunman for a moment before he got the upper hand. The man now lay on the ground, hands twisted behind him in Takagi's grip. A knee was jabbed in his back, courtesy once again of the 'rookie' detective.

Just in time, backup surrounded the area and several officers came up to arrest the robbers. Megure-keibu strode forward, smiling appreciatively. "Great bust, both of you! I knew partnering you up would be a brilliant idea!" A breathless Takagi solely nodded and Satou looked down. "Thank you, sir." She murmured. Megure just walked away and directed the other officers in proper police protocol.

Takagi stretched his arm and Satou turned to look at him. "Why did you disobey my order?" She asked him, a frown on her face.

Takagi looked away sheepishly. "Sorry, Satou-san, but I remembered that you didn't have a vest on and that the men were armed. There were three of them and only one of you."

Surprisingly, Satou took his arm for a moment. "Well, it was great move. Thank you. You saved my life…Takagi-kun." She smiled shyly at him.

Takagi blushed in response. "Oh no, it was nothing like that."

Satou grinned wider. "I'm amazed, though, you managed to take him down without needing a gun or anything!"

Takagi's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "My gun!" He searched frantically through his coat pockets. "Oh…I must have left it on my desk. Along with my gun, handcuff and police memo…" He broke off blushing even more.

Satou shook her head in mock disappointment. "Oh for goodness sake…"

"Takagi-kun! Satou-san!" Chiba called out. "You're both coming to karaoke right? Yumi-san is organizing it!"

Satou grinned and waived. "Of course we are!" She turned to Takagi questioningly. "You _are_ coming right?"

For a moment there, Takagi mind began to glaze over. Suddenly, his partner wasn't overly strict and annoyed with him. She was smiling, her eyes lit up, face flushed and she was asking him to come along. Satou-san was very pretty, Takagi reaffirmed in his mind.

Snapping fingers interrupted his reverie, however. "Takagi-kun? Takagi-kun? You're coming right, let's go!" She stood in front of him impatiently.

Takagi shook his head quickly. "Yeah! Yes, of course, I'm coming. Let's go." He began to stride ahead of her.

"Takagi-kun?"

He turned to look at her amused expression. "Yes, Satou-san?

"The car is over here, remember?" She jerked her thumb behind her.

"Oh! Oh, right." Takagi followed Satou, who giggled to herself the whole way.

At the karaoke bar, Takagi was mulling around an idea in his head, while watching a certain someone. The idea? He wanted to ask Satou-san on a date. Sure, in the past few weeks he had been quite intimidated by her (Who was he kidding? He still was) but it had come to his rapid attention that she was also a dedicated and competent detective. Smart as a whip and loyal to the force, Satou Miwako was probably the best officer in the unit.

_She's got such a pretty smile too…_

Takagi cleared his throat and pulled his gaze from the blue-eyed officer. Right.

"I knew it."

Takagi head turned to face the speaker. It was Chiba. "What do you mean?"

Chiba grinned. "I knew you'd fall for her! I mean it was already pretty clear that you thought she was beautiful but I was betting that you'd fall head over heels, even though she'd been kind of mean to you."

Takagi crossed his arms in defiance. "I don't know what you're going on about."

Chiba just shook his head. "Suit yourself. I'm going to get Yamada-kun to pay up, though." He walked away but not before taking one of the sushi rolls from the snack table.

Satou was currently singing with Yumi some song from a popular anime. Just as they were finishing up, however, she sat down and took a sip from her soda. Now was his chance.

He got up from his seat and began to edge toward her…when a large group of male officers raided the entrance. "Satou-san!"

"Sing the next one with me, Satou-san!"

"Satou-san can I pour you a drink?"

"You were brilliant in that robbery today, Satou-san!"

Takagi was taken back in surprise. What was going on?

_Satou-san is the most popular woman in the force. She's beautiful, funny, smart and probably the best detective here. Anyone of those guys would love to be in your shoes._

Chiba's words came trickling back to him. Oh, right. Satou-san was very popular. So popular that one of the detectives riding up the corporate ladder at rapid speeds, Shiratori, was currently bringing her a new platter of food. Satou didn't seem to be aware of the attention but she did like the food. Takagi rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Told ya." Chiba was once again at his side.

"Shut up."

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The End

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**My notes: **Sorry for the wait with this one, guys! I've been very busy with school so I haven't had much time to fic. But here it is now, enjoy! Dedicated to _SoulSeeker _who made me the cutest Takagi/Satou icons. Thank you so much! (P.S. Her 40 Nights Shin/Ran series is awesome! Go read!)

Please review!

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	4. Evaluations

**Title:** Evaluations  
**Author/Artist:** magictruth/sapphirestars  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #12 in a good mood  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

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"Hmm…Takagi-kun? Did you see where I left those files? The background on our suspect?"

"Er…here they are! Right underneath the police report, speaking of which…"

"THERE it is! Chiba-kun came in here earlier! He said he needed the report to hand to the attorney."

"I'll call him to come in. Oh, here are the other files."

Satou stood up. "No, its fine, Takagi-kun. I'll take them to him myself." Gathering her paper work, she slipped them all into a folder. "I'll be right back," Satou called over her shoulder as she walked through the door.

For the few months, she and Takagi had been working on a high-profile serial murder case. It was very secretive and she had been extremely surprised when the inspector had called her and Takagi in to solve it. Takagi and Satou had only been working together for a few months but Megure-keibu was so insistent on assigning them this case that they couldn't refuse.

It was a tough case; there had been very little evidence left over after each of the killings. Responsible for the murder of at least 5 college girls, it seemed virtually impossible that they could track him down. After several weeks of investigation, they had begun gathering integral pieces of evidence. A couple of phone conversations with an old friend of the inspector (Kudo Yuu-something) and they'd become much more enlightened about the case.

Not to mention the breakthrough Takagi had the week before. A witness had seen what they thought was a suspicious looking individual outside of a popular Tokyo University hangout. That information was pretty worthless but Takagi had remembered an important link from an unsolved case two years back, when he was first starting out, and the pieces had started to come together. They'd gotten their man and they had enough evidence to put him away for years.

It was great to see a monster behind bars and aside from that there were also end of the year evaluations. Solving this case was bound to be good for both Satou _and _Takagi.

"Satou-kun? Have you see Takagi?" Megure-keibu popped out of his office.

She raised an eyebrow. "We were at my desk; he should still be there. Do you want me to call him over?"

Megure shook his head. "No, I'll go. I'm heading to Miyazaki for a month to look into another case and I'm bringing Takagi with me. We have to leave tonight; it's urgent."

Satou gaped. "A month? In Miyazaki? That's…that's so far away!"

He patted her shoulder. "Don't worry Satou-kun. I'm sure you'll be able to handle the work here. You're my top cop. Are those the forms for the attorney handling the case?"

Satou shook herself out of her stupor. "Yes…yes they are. I was just getting them to Chiba-kun."

He gave her a smile. "I'm off to get Takagi up to speed." He walked down the way Satou had come.

She stood in the hallway slightly disoriented. Takagi was going to Miyazaki for a month? He was leaving that night?

Satou felt a little odd just then. After all, he had to go; it was a police investigation and Takagi usually accompanied the inspector. Blinking rapidly, she looked at the paperwork in her hands and went to go find Chiba.

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It took three hours to finally get everything straightened out. Satou shuffled back to her desk and sat. The room was still buzzing, after all the police department never slept; however, it was a whole new set of officers that took up the room's space. She saw some familiar faces leaving the office, their shifts were over.

Satou stood on her tiptoes and looked around. Takagi was nowhere in sight. Had he left already? She hadn't even gotten a chance to wish him luck, say goodbye and what not. She pouted slightly as she wondered _why_ she even cared so much. Yes, they were partners and friends but they hadn't even known each other very well until they'd begun working on the serial killer case.

Still, she couldn't get the image of him out of her head. The shy smile, bright blue eyes, tousled hair…

A faint blush kissed Satou's cheeks. Where had _that_ come from? They were just partners! Even so, Satou couldn't shake the disappointed feeling…she'd really hoped to see him once more before he left.

She swung her purse over her shoulder and walked out into the hallway, her heels clicking away as she looked at the floor.

Only to run into the person she'd wanted to see most.

Takagi stood in front of her. "Satou-san, hi! Oh, reminds me! Our evaluation print outs are upstairs."

Satou looked at him. "Oh! That's right!" She turned around but he stopped her. "Wait, I'll go with you."

They walked together and he opened the door to the stairwell for her. "I bet it says great things about you what with how well you did on this case."

She smiled awkwardly. "Yeah well…you did really well yourself." Their shoulders brushed and she could feel the all too familiar blush creep up her face once more. Not to mention the insanely giddy feeling dancing inside.

They reached the top floor and she started to walk straight ahead. He crossed in front of her. "Um, Satou-san the office is this way…"

She laughed nervously. "Oh! Heh…right. That's right." _Idiot._ They continued walking down the hall.

When they reached the doorway, Takagi reached for a manila envelope attached to the door. "This is our department. Looks like no one's opened this yet." He opened the file and pulled out a sheet. "Here you go, Satou-san!"

She took it and began to look it over and a smile crossed her face. Only good things seemed to be written there.

"Well, I'm glad I ran into you here." Takagi looked up at her and smiled. Satou's heart did somersaults. "It was fun working with you…I mean we always work together but…I hope we get assigned on another case like this when I get back."

For reasons beyond her comprehension, Satou seemed to lose control of her motor skills and was running clearly on autopilot. She nodded and smiled dumbly. "Right right."

He looked at his watch. "I'd better go. Megure-keibu's waiting for me. See you in a month!"

She smiled and began to turn away. "See you…"

He grinned and waived at her one last time before heading off in the opposite direction.

Satou began to walk down the hall rather slowly, a joyful grin growing on her face. Her heart beating quicker than normal, she went back the way she had come. Although, Satou was considerably happier than she'd been prior to the odd change in fate.

"This is such a great day."

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**The End.**

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**A/N: **I know I said I'd give you a real kiss between them and I will. It's just that I was in class and this plunnie just plopped into my head. It's a little short and not incredibly romantic but I figured it was one of those little moments that often happen when two people like each other.

So what do you think? Please Review! Thanks for reading!


	5. Necessary Ambiance

**Title:** Necessary Ambiance  
**Author/Artist:** magictruth/sapphirestars  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #26 If only I could make you mine  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

* * *

To say that Takagi had been waiting a long time for this would be an understatement. But every single time he got close…something, or _someone_, had to go and ruin it. It was enough to drive a guy crazy.

What was the source of Takagi's troubles? Simple. He had yet to kiss Satou-san.

There had been _moments_…but they were always interrupted. It ranged from the Mouri family and Megure-keibu to random officers. Several officers set up stakeouts to monitor their dates, which Takagi found disturbing. He was nearly certain that the ringleader of those circus events was none other than Shiratori.

But Takagi had been doing quite a bit of thinking lately. He was doing some serious brainstorming and he thought he'd come up with something. Takagi was smarter than most, even if he didn't know it, and his brain had come up with a good idea. He couldn't; however, implement it on his own. He needed some outside help.

This was why he had spent an hour on the phone with Ran-chan who, to his chagrin, had positively squealed when she'd heard his idea. Ran had promised him her full support and assistance. Takagi had begged her for absolute discretion and she promised she would not mention it to anyone.

Then Takagi had involved another friend in the idea, namely Yumi. Takagi had begged Yumi to find a way to distract Shiratori from their date. He knew that if Shiratori caught wind of the younger officer's plan there would be another stakeout. Yumi had promised to distract him completely. She told him not to ask.

Takagi felt he should follow her advice.

He had been planning this date for a few weeks now. The cherry blossoms were now in bloom and Takagi thought that a picnic while watching the blossoms seemed like the right ambiance for their date. Perfect…it had to be perfect.

Satou had quite a few vacation days racked up so two weeks before Takagi had asked her to take a day off because he had a special surprise for her. A big grin had lit up her face as she tried to tease Takagi into revealing his plans for her. No way, he had told her, she was going to have to wait.

The thought of spending some real alone time with Satou brought a blush to his face. Up until very recently, being alone with Satou was starting to look like an impossible dream. Still, Takagi couldn't shake the fear that someone might interrupt their date. He didn't think it was unreasonable for a guy to want to kiss his almost-not quite-undefined-girlfriend, right?

_If only I could make you mine…_

Right.

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Satou Miwako was wandering around her apartment looking for something to wear on her date with Takagi. The details were a surprise but she did know that it was something special. After all, he'd asked her to take a day off two weeks before the big date. She could easily deduce that this was meant to be something special.

She stared at her closet. It was empty. Well, it wasn't empty, per say, but there's was nothing…_special_ enough to wear.

She frowned at the contents in her closet before turning away and losing herself in her thoughts.

Satou was getting impatient.

She was overdue for a kiss from her undefined boyfriend and lord was she tired of waiting for it! There was always some sort of interruption…a crime…another officer. She was dedicated to the force but it was time to draw the line. There would be no mixing of the police force with her love life. Unless…they managed to escape the craziness of the police force for a janitor's closet or something...

Never mind that, they hadn't even shared their first kiss yet!

Satou couldn't help the blush that immediately came to her cheeks at the thought of it but she shook it away. She was a grown woman and what not. She wasn't going to turn into a blushing schoolgirl, like say Ran-chan, whenever that teen detective Kudo-something or other was mentioned.

Still, Satou was optimistic…Takagi-kun had clearly spent a lot of time planning this date and maybe things would work out for them this time.

Satou turned back to her closet continuing to muse about just what Takagi had in store for her.

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It was 10 am in the morning; Takagi was jogging up the stairs to Satou's apartment, cautious about getting unnecessary wrinkles on his pants. A bouquet of tulips, roses, daisies and other assorted flowers was clutched in his right hand, a basket in the other. He rounded the last set of stairs to reach her apartment door.

One traditional policeman's knock later and the door to Satou's home swung open.

Satou's smile was a mile wide. "Takagi-kun! Just one sec—let me get my purse. Oh! You brought me flowers!" She took them from him happily. "Just let me find a vase…I don't usually get flowers…"

Takagi's eyes followed her form down the hall, her azure colored sundress swishing around her. It clung nicely to all the right…

No. Bad Takagi. Bad.

She returned with the flowers in a vase and set them on the kitchen counter. "All right, I'm ready…a picnic basket?" Satou looked at Takagi quizzically. He smiled in response. "Well…the cherry blossoms are in bloom so I figured we'd have a picnic at the festival but away from the more touristy spots…what do you think?" He finished nervously.

Satou had been watching and listening to his little spiel and, as he wrapped it up, she laughed happily. "Oh, that's great, Takagi-kun! I'm so excited, let's go!" She grabbed his hand and led him out of her apartment.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Takagi followed her out and shut the door behind him. So far so good.

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They were sitting on a particularly patchy piece of grass and Takagi could not believe his luck. So far there had been no rude interruptions by anyone. The mood was lovely; the chatter and excitement from longtime Tokyo residents and tourists from around the world were distant. There was a light spring breeze in the air and the blossoms were more beautiful than Takagi had ever seen them. He didn't know whether they actually were, technically speaking, or it was because he was with Satou-san.

A quick glance in her direction lead him to believe that she was just as enchanted by the ambiance as he was. A small smile decorated her face as she turned to look at him. "Everything's turning out pretty well isn't it? No cops, no kids…"

"Yeah, it's great…uh, wait." His eyes widened slightly.

Satou laughed. "It's obvious that you were jumping through hoops to make sure this date worked out perfectly." Takagi grinned sheepishly. "Can you blame me? The secrets and plans that we have to go through just to have a normal date, minus the stakeout, are ridiculous." He unconsciously leaned closer. Or maybe he was conscious about it, he didn't know.

"No, I don't suppose I can." Satou smiled. "Your idea was great; I love this." Her shoulder brushed against his as she leaned closer as well. "Besides, it's about time we had a moment to ourselves, don't you think?" She asked as her face turned slightly pink.

"Yeah…yeah I think so." Takagi replied ever so softly. The air between them became very still. His heart was hammering in his chest and the blood was rushing to his brain. Nonetheless, a delirious buzz shot through his veins as he tilted his head slightly to the right. His right hand came up to cup her face gently. Satou's eyes were drifting shut as her face rested against his hand. "Takagi-kun…" She sighed softly and the thrill jolted his insides.

"STOP HIM! HE'S A BAD MAN!"

Takagi and Satou, startled, jumped away from each other only to see a grown man in grubby clothes clutching a purse, 5 familiar children and one teenage girl running past them. Satou immediately jumped up. "Takagi-kun! Come on!" She took off after the group and Takagi did as well, cursing to the high heavens.

Just as they were catching up to where the group had led them, an isolated woodsy area, they caught a glimpse of a bespectacled boy kicking an empty soda can at the grubby man's head. Said man promptly fell over.

"Conan-kun?" Satou cried out surprised and the Shonen tantei and their designated baby-sitter, Mouri Ran, turned around. Ran's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the two officers. "Takagi-keiji? Oh…no!" Her face grew red. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I promised you and I screwed it up." Ran retrieved her purse from the thief, who was being arrested by an officer, and glared furiously at him. "This man stole my purse and we weren't even near this area but there were so many people around so it was hard to catch up to him. I'm so _so_ sorry! I told you that I'd help you!" Her voice rose in pitch until it was a pure squeak and she bowed repeatedly in apology.

Takagi smiled ruefully. "Its fine, Ran-chan, really. It wasn't your fault." Conan and Ai watched this particular scene interest until the situation dawned on them. They both smiled knowingly but said nothing. Genta, Ayumi and Mitsuhiko on the other hand…

"Ooooh! You two were on a date!"

"…sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

"A date on a work day? Surely, this is a breach of conduct."

"Kids, please!" Ran tried to placate them and began to shepherd them away. "We'll be leaving now." She bowed again contritely and Takagi began to think he had never seen anyone bow so much in their life.

Beside him, he heard Satou sigh. "Guess this didn't work out after all. I guess we're cursed, right Takagi-kun?" He turned to look at her and while the tone was humorous her face was disappointed.

Without stopping to think, Takagi took her face in his hands and kissed her.

One would think that the couple's first kiss might be chaste. After all, this was unfamiliar territory and it would be only natural that they might break away quickly. Yet, Takagi Wataru and Satou Miwako had been dancing around this particular moment for quite awhile now. The anticipation and the nerves had been prolonged for months and it was time to "throw caution to the wind."

It took only a second for Satou to respond, but when she did it was filled with enthusiasm. They weren't two kids on a first date; they were grown adults and when Satou's arms wrapped themselves firmly around him and her lips massaged Takagi's deeply, it showed. His arms encircled her shoulders and crushed her to him. Satou moaned softly in surprise but she didn't break their contact. Fireworks seemed to be exploding in his ears as he took a moment to part her lips and subsequently deepen the kiss. Her lips and tongue steadily danced with his but the fervor behind it augmented rapidly. Satou's hands clutched at his shirt as she drew him as close to her as possible and it further encouraged him as he ran his hands up and down her back, arms and stomach. His hands elicited shivers down her spine and Satou's mind went foggy, the kiss filling all her senses. One of her hands entangled itself in his hair serving to further encourage Takagi as he groaned acutely in appreciation.

Their movements were ardent and excited, maybe it was because they had been hesitant and careful for so long that every kiss and every caress was so passionate. Enough had been enough.

His hands slid down from her face to her shoulders and to the sides of her chest; Satou's hands spread themselves across his waist and hips as his mouth immersed itself with hers more intensely than before, one last time.

They broke away desperate for breath and red-faced.

"Wow! That's the way they do it in the movies!" The voice of Yoshida Ayumi rang out. The two officers jumped away from each other while three of the five children laughed loudly.

Ran jogged up to the kids. "_There_ you are…oh…_oh_…kids, what are you doing here?"

Takagi dropped his face in his hands as Ran began admonishing the junior detectives but Satou nudged him. "_Finally_." She grinned mischievously and Takagi knew there would be plenty of practicing later on.

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The End

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A/N: Sorry sorry sorry sorry! I apologize profusely but look there was kissage! I really am sorry for the wait but what with my computer and my back spazzing out it's been hard for me to sit down and write. Let alone the events and birthday parties that took over the month of June for me. But the wait will definitely not be as long as next time. Please tell me what you think!

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	6. You Have No Idea

**Title:** You Have No Idea  
**Author/Artist:** sapphirestars  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #7 superstar  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

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Takagi is a funny guy, really.

He doesn't know just what a great man he is. He's modest to a fault and he's the first to shine the spotlight on someone else. He does this all the time, even to me and I'm his girlfriend.

He has so many great qualities…admirable qualities…qualities _I'd_ like to have and it amazes me that he doesn't acknowledge that he has them. Takagi-kun is incredibly intelligent. There's no doubt about it. He's not a freak genius but it doesn't take him long to figure out something, be it a case or any other puzzle in his life. His intelligence is tangible; you can see it in his every day actions and you can understand it. He's not over your head and he doesn't harp to the high heavens the glory of his brain. Mostly, because he doesn't think he has it.

Just last week, we were called in on a robbery. It seemed so simple, Chiba-kun and I were all set to make an arrest when Takagi mentioned the sunglasses on the witness and when we questioned him again, and we had a whole new point of view.

Later, Takagi gave me the credit. He said that I'd mentioned that I hated to drive with sunglasses because the colors were all off and that had been what had piqued his thought process.

I don't need to have attention 24/7 or anything of the sort but I take pride in my work and if congratulations come my way I always take them. But I guess that's just one of the things I love about him. He doesn't care about getting all the praise; Takagi just cares about getting the job done and making Beika safer one case at a time.

He's so relaxed and easy-going. I rarely see him in a fuss. It's probably why Conan-kun and the rest of his friends take advantage of him so often. He answers their questions and even though he knows that they're kids he doesn't treat them any lesser. Takagi is patient with Genta-kun's stomach and Ayumi-chan's cuteness routine. He listens intently to Ai-chan and especially to Conan-kun. If they have anything to say (and they always do) he's all ears. Even when they're at their most energetic, he doesn't tire of them. Whenever I think of him around the kids, that part of me that wants a baby NOW, does a little flip-flop. It's a glimpse of the future, really.

I won't say anything just yet about my dreams of a family because…well look at how long it took me to admit I liked him! But I know that Takagi-kun is going to make a wonderful father. I can see it in his interactions with the children and in his eyes. He regards them all in such a special way that I melt just watching him.

He's unfailingly kind even when Shiratori gives him a hard time or when the rest of the men on the force haul him into the interrogation room. He gets so nervous so easily that sometimes I can't help but laugh just a bit when the guys are giving him a hard time. Takagi doesn't take himself too seriously and that's one of his most endearing traits.

Although, Takagi is not all sweetness and humility; the guy isn't a bore after all. He makes me laugh so much; he always has an interesting fact or funny joke to tell. He loves to tease even though you wouldn't know it by looking at him, with his being so shy. But once you get to know him, you can tell that Takagi has no qualms about teasing the Inspector about his lack of computer literacy or the fact that I have no artistic talents. He makes jokes about Yumi's gossip habits and Chiba's love of doughnuts.

Then there's his insane love for wrestling. I heard about this from Ran-chan. During a case, Takagi kept blabbing on and on about different wrestlers and wrestling moves. He talked so much I think the inspector whacked him on the head. Ran laughed so much when she relayed the story and said that his obsession reminded her of someone she knew. Which reminds me of something else; I can't help but be amused by his affection for the Mouri family. He caters to Conan-kun's every whim, assists Mouri-san with all of his crazy ideas and even plays big brother to Ran, oddly enough. I don't know that much about Takagi's family seeing as he lives alone but maybe they're kind of a replacement for him in the big city.

Takagi seems like the sort of guy that you can look straight through until you have one conversation with him and you realize that there's so much more going on in there. He's very humble about work but I know he was very competitive with Shiratori in regards to…well dating me. It's embarrassing to think that either of them would have tried very hard to get my attention. From what Yumi tells me, Takagi has done so many things to get my interest, including trying desperately to solve a case to keep me from marrying Shiratori. I don't think he knows that he's never had to work very hard for me to look his way. I've been watching him all along, even if I didn't always know why.

Sometimes I get the feeling that Takagi doesn't think that he…deserves me, as ridiculous as that sounds. Of course, he's never said anything of the sort but I can see it in his attitude. It can come in the form of high praise for a case or in his gaze. I know that he's happy with me and I can feel that he doesn't want to be with anyone but me, even if sometimes I get a little insecure about his feelings for me. For example, when I thought he was leaving to Tottori all I could think about was him meeting some other woman that would make him forget me. It wasn't so much jealousy as the simple realization that there are many women that would be thrilled to be with someone like Takagi. I am very aware of it even if he has no idea. Takagi is...

Takagi Wataru is so special, especially to me.

I'm head over heels in love with him, even if it scared and confused me at first. After everyone that I've lost, I couldn't risk getting close to someone else I would love and then again might lose. That day when Takagi was trapped in the Tokyo Tower changed everything for me. I knew that there would always be a risk but if I didn't let Takagi know…if I didn't show him how I felt… I might never get the chance.

I need him. He's my best friend, my partner…the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. I can talk to him about anything, be it a case or a date later that night. I don't like to wallow in the past too often but every once in awhile I feel myself falling. And every time Takagi has been there to catch me. Somehow only he knows how to reach me.

He promised he would never leave me, that he would never leave me behind. Looking back, I know that I was very emotional when I made him promise me such a thing. I can't control what fate has in store for us. Even so, I know that Takagi would never willingly leave me behind. It might sound silly but I can feel it when he talks to me, when he hugs me or when he kisses me. No matter what happens, I can tell that I'll never be completely alone. Takagi can do that; he can make me feel happy, sad, angry, jealous, relieved, safe and…loved.

I don't know if I ever could have predicted how important Takagi would become to me. I just know that now he is and I wouldn't have it any other way. This funny, interesting, sweet, humble, odd man appeared in my life and shook it all up.

Takagi thinks he's incredibly lucky to have me in his life and hey, who am I kidding, he is.

But he doesn't know much luckier I am that he's in mine.

------

The End.

------

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait but I was suffering from severe writer's block but I think I finally turned out something that I wouldn't cringe over. I hope you guys like it. It's my first time writing in first person and writing a fic that was entirely reflective but I think and hope it turned out all right. I'd love your feedback!

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	7. Change in Routine

**Title:** Change in Routine  
**Author/Artist:** magictruth  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #8 Our Own World  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

-----

It was their custom to go out in the evenings after work; this usually included karaoke and takeout with the police crew or a quiet dinner at a corner restaurant. Tonight, however, Satou and Takagi had decided to head back to his place because Takagi wanted to try something different.

"So, you're making me dinner tonight because…?" Satou inquired and hopped onto the kitchen counter. She crossed her legs and leaned back against the cupboard to watch her boyfriend (long since official) slice vegetables.

Takagi looked up quickly and smiled at her before turning back to the knife in his hand. "I figured it'd be a nice change from the routine. Don't get me wrong, I love egg rolls as much as the next person but it's nice to switch things up a bit."

Satou tilted her head and smiled mischievously. "Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that Shiratori has been joining us for dinner at the karaoke bar all week, right?"

He blushed in response. "Nooooo…no, of course not. Just wanted to try something different. Besides, I've never cooked for you before."

She grinned and slid off the counter, adjusted her skirt, and walked over to him. "Speaking of which, can I try? I'd like to chop up something up, too."

Takagi grinned. "Ah ah ah, no way. You don't cook remember? Do I need to remind you of the Christmas potluck last year? When you tried to slice up the Christmas cake? It looked like a samurai had tried to slash through it." He moved the cutting board and knife away from her.

"Takagi. I am a top investigating officer and am proficient with many weapons, what makes you think I can't properly slice a stalk of celery?"

Takagi raised his eyebrows. "Christmas cake. That's all the evidence I or anyone needs."

Satou pouted shortly before sidling closer. "Well then, master chef, why don't you show me how to properly cut the vegetables? Might be useful to know someday." She smiled and placed her hand over his.

Blushing again, Takagi couldn't help but grin. "Well, all right…here why don't I demonstrate and then you can just copy what I do?"

"Oh, but I think it might be more effective if you just guide me while I slice." She looked at him, eyes wide in mock innocence. Satou stepped just in front of him to take position at the cutting board.

A little surprised but pleased nonetheless, Takagi slid his hands over hers. "The most important thing is to watch your fingers. It's all just safety, don't want to lose anything." He failed to notice that his voice had deepened slightly.

However, Satou did notice and she couldn't help but blush. "So no slicing like a samurai?"

He chuckled near her ear. "No, there won't be any samurai slicing. Save that for the Christmas cake that clearly had it coming." Takagi leaned closer to rest his chin on her shoulder.

Satou rolled her eyes. "How long are you going to tease me about that?"

He laughed again. "Ok, I'm done. I promise…it's just that the cake was massacred. Let's be honest, now."

She huffed in response. "Well, I think I'm doing a great job with the celery. Look! They're all small pieces, cut in perfect little squares too."

Takagi nodded and her shoulder moved. "That's right, I've done a great job of teaching you. I think you're ready to fly on your own now…too bad I'm so comfortable here."

"Oh, so my shoulder is like your own personal pillow?" Satou bit her lip to hold in a laugh.

"Absolutely, amongst other things." Takagi replied, nonchalantly but he watched her face turn bright red as she gasped. "Kidding, kidding!" He added, quickly.

She poked his shoulder before returning to the cutting board. "What a jokester."

"Well, why don't you just keep chopping vegetables? Practice makes perfect." Takagi kissed her cheek and snuggled in a little closer.

"Are these vegetables actually part of the surprise dinner?" Satou asked him.

"No, I don't think so…now you're just chopping random vegetables." Takagi's arms slid around her waist. "See? This is much nicer than going out to the karaoke bar." He murmured.

Satou placed her cutlery down on the board before turning in his arms. Taking his face in her hands, she kissed him gently. "Much _much_ better, thank you." She answered sweetly.

Wrapping his arms tighter around here, he kissed her back. "I should get back to making your dinner."

Satou giggled and leaned in. "Maybe we should just skip ahead to dessert…chocolate cake sound good?"

He frowned and looked around. "Cake? Where?" Satou chuckled and reached into her pocket to retrieve her chap stick. "Enough with the cake already! It's my lip gloss, silly."

Takagi raised an eyebrow. "Oh! _That _kind of dessert." Running his fingers through her hair, he brought her closer to him.

"Yeah, that kind." She whispered and closed the distance between them. His hands slid down her shoulders and pressed against the small of her back. Her own fingers tangled in his short hair, drawing his face closer to hers. Deepening the kiss, Takagi and Satou eagerly welcomed the hazy new dream.

-----

The End.

-----

**A/N:** Hi guys! I know it's late but I just haven't the time to update lately what with my first semester of senior year killing me. But I haven't forgotten and I'm definitely going to try to update more. Not to mention some other ficcage that I've got in the works. This had to come first, though, what with the deadlines. laugh Hope you enjoyed the fluff (it's eating me!!) and please review!


	8. Necessary Traditions

**Title:** Necessary Traditions  
**Author/Artist:** magictruth  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #1 Look over here  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

------

It was the day after Christmas and everyone was back at work chatting excitedly about the holiday and how their plans with family and significant others had gone, iof there were significant others to be talked about. A common topic of conversation also included presents and since it was an office full of adults, there was also a lot of competition over the best gifts, especially in the 1st investigation unit.

"Well, I got a brand new mp3 player from my girlfriend."

"My girlfriend got me that plasma TV I've been eyeing for months!"

"Well, my girlfriend got me something even better."

"What's that?"

"Well, she came over dressed in a long coat and she started to—"

"OKAY!! That's enough of that line of conversation."

"Sorry, Satou-san!"

"Yeah, sorry Satou-san."

"You forget that I don't need those unfortunate visuals, Yagami-kun."

"WHAT AM I PAYING YOU PEOPLE FOR???" That irate voice belonged to none other than Inspector Megure and all officers in the break room stood at attention.

Takagi cleared his throat nervously before speaking up. "We were just…catching up with each other after the holiday, Inspector."

Megure looked skeptically at Tokyo's finest. "I'm sure. Back to work everyone…unless this is legitimately your break time. I'm pretty sure that only Chiba-kun, Takagi-kun, Satou-kun, Shiratori-kun, Yumi-kun and Sawamura-kun."

The shuffling of feet and mumbling was heard amongst the mass exodus. Shiratori turned to Takagi. "So, Takagi-kun, how was Christmas for you? Spend the day with someone special?" A smug grin grew on his face.

Takagi looked over at Satou and noticed the tight smile that had show up on her face. "No, I didn't have the chance to spend the day with the person I would have loved to pass it with most." The words were smooth but they were delivered with the tell-tale blush of Takagi's awkward but endearing manner. His heart did a little flip; however, when he noticed Satou look down into her coffee cup trying to hide a sweet smile.

Not that it pleased Shiratori any. "Well, I know that I would have done everything possible to spend the day with my special person. A lovely candlelight dinner…roses…chocolates." He turned directly to Satou, whose eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Takagi began to respond before Yumi interceded. "Anyway, I think we ought to head back to work. Crime waits for no one as they say." She winked at Takagi-kun before ushering him and Satou toward the door after her.

"Who says that?" Chiba asked with a frown, polishing off the remaining sprinkled doughnut.

"No one in particular…oh would you look at that!" She pointed at the top of the doorway, right over Satou and Takagi. "Look over here, everyone!"

Not to be left behind, Satou and Takagi looked up.

Mistletoe. Of course.

Blushing and sputtering spouted from the smitten officers. "What is that doing there!" Takagi managed to get out.

Satou brought her hands to her face, feeling the heat of her red face. "Christmas decorations, of course. Who put that up?? Yumi, it was you wasn't it?"

Yumi raised her hands in surrender. "No! Not me! But tradition is tradition, you guys, let's have a kiss!" Chiba-kun opened his mouth to speak but Yumi shushed him.

The couple looked around at all the attention, not to be left out was Shiratori who stepped in between and through the pair to join the growing crowd. "I don't think it's really necessary. Besides, you usually have to be kind of gutsy to go through with this sort of thing."

Scowling, Takagi looked down at Satou, who was currently taking in the people before her. Apparently, nobody seemed to think that getting back to work was of any importance. She looked up at the group of officers, a stern but embarrassed expression on her face. "This is silly. We're here to work, people. Preserve peace in the city and what not."

"Miwako-chan! It's just a kiss, you two! Besides, it's tradition!" Yumi cheered on.

Takagi tried to get his trembling hands under some semblance of control. A kiss with Satou-san? There wasn't anything he wanted more…but with all these people? He looked at her again and this time she met his gaze. There was something there, something other than mortification, something like…

Anticipation?

He took either side of her face in hands. "You can hit me for this later, if you want, Satou-san." With that, his lips met hers in an unmistakable kiss.

Whoops, cheers and squeals were heard among all the officers. Not to mention a few menacing threats towards Takagi's person.

But neither Satou or Takagi heard any of that, what with the pounding hearts and butterflies darting in excitement through their ribcages. It wasn't particularly long or passionate but Satou stepped forward into the kiss and her hands came up slowly to his waist before they separated.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING NOW???" Inspector Megure appeared once more. "You do understand that we have people dying, old ladies getting their purses robbed, and children getting kidnapped out there?"

"Megure-keibu…the crime rate isn't so bad in Tokyo." One foolish officer had the nerve to respond.

"What?"

"Nothing! Nothing! Back to work, everyone!" The officers scurried back to their desks and assignments, leaving only Chiba, Satou, Takagi and Megure. The inspector took one long look at his two love struck detectives. He chuckled before shaking his head. "It's about damn time." Megure waved them off and returned to his office.

"You know, technically, since Christmas has passed you probably didn't have to kiss each other. It's usually a holiday thing." Chiba looked at them with a grin before walking off.

The couple watched him leave, partially annoyed at Yumi but mostly thrilled at her incessant matchmaking. Not having quite removed his hands from her face, Takagi cleared his throat. "That was…that was…"

With a light blush on her cheeks, Satou chuckled. "A belated Christmas gift?"

His eyes widened before a smile grew on his face. "More like a gift to myself, Satou-san. You know, we could…"

"Exchange some more gifts, Takagi-kun?" She grinned and poked him. "I think we might have to put that off for now. We could still go out after work though…I know a lot of couples like to go ice skating this time of year."

His brushed a lock of hair over her ear. "Well, since it's tradition." Another blush colored his cheeks before he looked quickly around the room. "But…" He pressed a brief but intense kiss to her lips before stepping back. "Merry Christmas."

Satou gave him a warm smile and reached for his hand. "Merry Christmas, Takagi-kun."

------

The End.

------

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I know it's fluffy and it's cliché but I couldn't resist and it pretty much wrote itself. They're just so adorable!! I missed writing these two and I'm fully thrilled to be on winter break. Hope you all enjoyed! Dedicated to the fabulous and talented magicbulletgirl 'cause she said "mistletoe" and I went with it!


	9. Unscramble

**Title:** Unscramble  
**Author/Artist:** magictruth  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #2 news; letter  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

* * *

Satou was lazing around her apartment; it was her day off and she was planning to relax for every minute of it. She had even opted out of going to dinner and karaoke with her coworkers when they got off their shifts, simply because it was a part of her daily routine. Instead, Satou was half-sitting-half-lying on the floor wrapped in blankets. With a mug of hot tea in her right hand and the TV remote in the other, she settled into watching the morning drama. 

It had just the right amount of sappiness and drama to keep her fully interested (she wasn't the hopeless romantic type…ok, maybe she was but she wasn't telling anyone). Her mother was out of town for the week, which meant there would be no photos of eligible bachelors thrust in her face today.

That matchmaking it was unnecessary, however. She was been happily dating Takagi for quite some time now. Crazy mothers would always be crazy mothers and following in that tradition, her mother felt that perhaps it would be nice that Satou date 'a nice inspector.' Her mother had not failed to notice that Takagi ranked slightly below Satou in the police hierarchy.

After Satou had set her mother straight on that issue and _after_ her mother had wailed about what she would tell Satou's father in the afterlife ('That you raised a successful independent woman!' didn't cut it apparently) her mother had finally come to terms with the young couple. Although, it did nothing to dissuade her from alluding to Satou's other possibilities.

For Satou there was only one possibility and his name was Takagi Wataru. Her thoughts quickly drifted to her slightly awkward but absolutely adorable boyfriend and a smile grew on her face. At least, that was Takagi on the surface. He was her pillar of strength and, for all the clumsiness in his manner, she could never forget when Takagi gave an inspirational mini-speech or delivered evidence to make an arrest. When he told her that he loved her and when he reassured her that there was no need for her to forget precious memories. His posture was straight like a rod and his expression tender but determined. He had a quiet air of elegance and sense of justice that were apparent even when he has just spilled coffee on his shirt.

Satou wondered whether Takagi would come to see her after work. She assumed he would even though he had not mentioned anything the night before. Despite the fact that they were partners, they did not have a lot of alone time together. After work, they usually went out with the rest of the group to unwind from a long day of preserving the peace.

Satou hoped that Takagi would come visit her, maybe they could catch a movie or grab dinner together. Her eyes slowly began to drift shut as she continued thinking about what they could do together and before long she slid into a late morning doze.

------

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

------

The rapid succession of knocking abruptly shook Satou awake. Blearily, she glanced towards the clock on her wall. "Four in the afternoon? I've been sleeping all day!" She cried out and jumped to her feet. As she stood, Satou couldn't help but notice how rested she felt. "Oh well…better rested than sore."

------

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

------

Satou turned towards the door again, remembering just what had awakened her.

"Police? Here at my house?" She questioned, recognizing the distinctive police officer's knock. Kicking off a blanket that had wrapped itself around her foot, Satou proceeded to look through the peephole. Her face lit up and she grinned. It was Takagi.

Satou flung the door open and greeted him. "Don't you know you're supposed to tone down your policeman habits during the off hours? What are you doing here so early anyway?" The tone of her voice was scolding but her happiness to see him betrayed her.

Takagi smiled in response. "If I knock like that, you'll definitely answer the door. Case in point. Otherwise, you'll think it's your annoying neighbors. Don't shake your head! I've seen you." He teased and walked into her apartment at her beckoning.

He turned to face her with a serious expression. "Actually, there were multiple bank robberies earlier today and the thieves responsible got away before we arrived each time. They took off with 500 million yen total."

Satou's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? Do we have any leads? Have you gotten Mouri-san on the case?"

Takagi grinned. "'We,' huh? Uh…they Megure-keibu contacted Mouri-san already so that's taken care of. I was hoping that you'd want to help even though it's your day off."

Satou waved him off. "Of course! 500 million yen? _And_ they got away with it? I should get dressed and head down to the office." She started towards her room before Takagi caught her elbow.

"Wait wait wait…I brought the copies of the police reports with me so that you could look them over. They left behind a series of notes and we're thinking that they might help predict the next robbery. The department is working on decoding them but I figured you would want to see them. And since you look so comfortable," He smiled and gestured at her sweats. "I thought you might want to see them here."

Satou took them from the three notes from his hand (she noted that his hands were oddly shaky) and spread them out over her coffee table.

------

_Love are in you know you_

_World you see in eyes her when the_

_Eyes world everywhere and the in her_

------ _  
_

"These don't make sense. I guess it's just word scrambling, though, right?" She looked at up quickly and observed that he had been watching her quite intently. "Do you have any ideas?"

Takagi twiddled with his pen rapidly between his fingers. "No…no, I'm just thinking still. Yeah…I think it's just word scrambling. They might have figured it out but you have some experience with this…"

Satou nodded but still noticed that his leg was shaking and he was just fidgeting all over. "Are you okay? You seem antsy." She quirked a brow.

He waved her concerns away. "No, I'm fine! Fine, perfectly fine." His voice cracked slightly at his last 'fine' but Satou merely shrugged her shoulders and went back to the notes.

------ _  
_

_Love are in you know you_

------

Odd. Why the heck would a group of thieves use the word love to describe their next hit?

------

_Love you know?_

_Love you are in?_

_You are in love?_

------

Satou's brow furrowed and suddenly it came to her.

------

_You know you are in love._

------ _  
_

She turned to Takagi and raised a brow "What kinds of thieves were they exactly?"

He only shrugged and laughed nervously, his voice rising in pitch. Confirmed. Takagi clearly needed a day off. She returned to the next note.

------

_World you see in eyes her when the_

_Eyes when you?_

_The eyes you see in her?_

------ _  
_

She worked over the note for an additional five minutes or so before she came up with:

------

_When you see the world in her eyes_

------ _  
_

"Maybe it's a thwarted love or something? Maybe the thieves are looking for the ringleader's ex-girlfriend that works at a bank teller at one of these banks. Look at me, I sound like I'm summarizing one of those cheesy dramas. Nice lines, though." As Satou turned to look at Takagi, he began to choke and cough.

"Oh my…are you all right?! Breathe! Breathe!" She lifted his arms over his head and he regained his composure. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Fine sorry. I just thought I was listening to Yumi-kun, that's all." He gave her a nervous grin.

Satou shook her head and looked at him. "You're acting so strangely. I think we should stay in tonight and first thing tomorrow; I'm going in to talk to the inspector about getting you a nice long break. A vacation or something."

"That would be nice." Takagi's voice was deeper and softer than usual as he held her gaze. She felt a shock run through her before she smiled and turned back to the last note.

------ _  
_

_Eyes world everywhere and the in her_

_Everywhere in the world…her?_

_Her eyes everywhere…_

…_in the world_

_You know you are in love  
when you see the world in her eyes,  
and her eyes everywhere in the world._

------ _  
_

Satou's gasped loudly and her eyes widened. She noted that Takagi had stopped fidgeting and that now her own hands were shaking. She turned to look at him slowly and it seemed to click suddenly.

"There was no robbery today was there?" She asked softly. Takagi smiled softly and shook his head. "Well, there was…but not like that. We caught them pretty quickly and they didn't get away with anything."

"So then…?" She was still clutching the last note in her trembling fingers and she turned to look at the jumbled words. Was he? Was he, really?

Her breath hitched as he reached over and placed his hands over her own. Takagi turned his body to face her completely. Satou's gazed down at their intertwined hands. She looked at him and the nervous expression he had been wearing replaced by the sweet and shy smile she knew so well. Takagi's face turned pink as he cleared his throat, slightly hesitant.

"Are you…Takagi-?"

"_Miwako_." Takagi interrupted her simply. He squeezed her hands gently before cupping her face gently. "Miwako, I've been trying to ask you this for a long time now…you have no idea how long." He blushed but didn't break their eye contact.

Satou thought she would melt when he called her by her first name and her lips parted slightly.

"Miwako…will you marry me?"

Satou Miwako didn't cry often but she couldn't help the rush of tears that flooded her eyes just then. She tried to speak but failed before she took a deep breath. "Yes…_Wataru_…I'd love to marry you." She choked out, her voice overcome with emotion.

Takagi's face lit up just then and Satou knew that she would never ever forget the expression of pure elation and relief that crossed his features just then. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box. He massaged her left hand before sliding the simple diamond ring onto her finger.

Takagi's fingers brushed her tears away and took her face in his hands. Satou's eyes sparkled happily and she leaned towards him, their lips meeting in a loving kiss. Their arms slid around each other in a passionate embrace leaving no doubt as to how they felt about each other.

They parted and Takagi chuckled. "Thieves that are looking for the ringleader's ex-girlfriend that works at a bank teller? Where did you come up with that one?"

Satou pouted before grinning. "Shut up. What else was I supposed to think?"

He merely shook his head. "I'm just glad this attempt worked out."

Satou smiled and raised a brow. "There have been others?"

"It all started in Tropical Land…"

------

The End

------

A/N: Took waaaay too long to get this but I had no idea what to do with at all. I did get inspiration, eventually, so I hope this turned out well. Reviews are much appreciated!

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	10. Keeping a Promise

**Title:** Keeping a Promise  
**Author/Artist:** sapphirestars  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #4 Our distance and that person  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

------

_**CRASH!**_

Takagi Wataru's alarm clock went flying towards the wall where it ricocheted onto his stack of CDs. He peeked out from underneath the covers to assess the damage and cursed under his breath. Kicking his sheets, Takagi got up and proceeded to set the alarm clock back on his night stand and from the looks of it, the clock was irreparably damaged. Grumbling about the lack of sturdiness in today's modern technology, he tried to reorganize his CDs before they fell over in a heap once again. Annoyed, Takagi left the pile where it was and headed to the bathroom to shower… but not before accidentally running his foot into the door.

"ARGH!!" He growled in pain and in blind anger he kicked the door, which only served to injure his aching toe more. "SON OF A- "

Rubbing his toe, he half-hopped half-limped into the shower and decided that this definitely was not going to be his day. It didn't help matters anymore when shampoo suds seeped into his eyes, stinging them. Frantically rinsing his eyes out, Takagi knew that it was probably a better idea to stay in bed. Besides, he was predisposed to be in a wretched mood. Last night had been terrible. No, terrible didn't even begin to cover it. Last night was something he never wanted to repeat.

If he were to think about everything that happened the day before, in its entirety, then maybe his mood would improve. After all, Takagi Wataru had been a part of the group that had brought down a worldwide syndicate's base in Japan! He had arrested several notorious criminals! He was a national hero! He-

-had failed to include his fiancée in the plans and to say she was angry would be a vast understatement.

Takagi stepped into his room and started to get dressed as he recalled the shouting match with Satou. He winced as he remembered how loud their voices had become, the angry expression on her lovely face and the words they had exchanged.

------

"_How could you have kept this a secret from me?" _

"_I was trying to protect you! This was - is - a dangerous case!"_

"_Oh, really? It's not as if I'm a high-ranking officer, extensively trained and highly knowledgeable… oh wait."_

"_You don't have to take that tone."_

"_I think I'm perfectly allowed to take this tone, particularly when my future husband has been keeping a very important part of his life secret from me." _

"_I couldn't say anything! Kudo-kun was in charge of this whole thing. It was his case. He let me into what was going on and I couldn't just tell anyone what was going on."_

_Bad thing to say._

"_Just anyone? JUST anyone? Since when am I just anyone?"_

"_That's not what I meant. It was better not to tell anyone at all. Kudo-kun didn't even tell Ran-chan. It was to protect her as well."_

"_Oh? Well, as it was so aptly proved in the past few days, not knowing something can be just as dangerous. Look at where Ran-chan is at now."_

"_I'm not saying that the decision was flawless…but I thought it was the best thing. You weren't quite as close to the situation as Ran-chan was." _

"_The best thing? Takagi…Kudo Shinichi is a brilliant teenager but he is still just that. A teenager. For all of his intelligence, he lacks the maturity and experience to have made a decision like this. You and all the other adults associated with him should have realized that."_

_Takagi pursed his lips. "You don't understand. The more people involved the more dangerous it became for everyone."_

"_No, you don't seem to understand! Mouri Ran is lying in a hospital bed right now with a gunshot wound and Kudo-kun hasn't moved from her side! She's going to pull through but until she wakes up… if Ran-chan had just known something, had an inkling of what to look for, maybe she wouldn't be lying there!" _

"_And maybe if I had let you in you would have dove in investigating! I know you! You're incredibly smart but you're also bold and you take a lot of risks and you might have gone off on your own." _

"_I am not an idiot! I wouldn't have been reckless, especially with the dangers involved. What makes you think you had the right to decide how involved I could be in this?!"_

_------ _

"Oh, I don't know? Your fiancée maybe? I think that the man you are going to _**marry**_ should have some say in your safety!" Takagi shouted up at his ceiling. Ok, so maybe the anger from the night before hadn't entirely ebbed away. As he pulled a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt from his closet, Takagi knew that he mostly felt regretful and guilty. He desperately wanted to talk to her but he wasn't so sure that she did. Especially with the way their fight had ended…or rather exploded.

------

"_I can't believe you even have to ask that! I'm starting to wonder whether you're more upset that you didn't get a chance to be a part of the solving the case rather than my keeping a secret from you."_

_Oh, damn it all. _

_Satou's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. He could see them filling with tears and he instantly regretted every ridiculous word that had come out of his mouth. _

"_Miwako…no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that…any of it. I'm-"_

"_Get out." Her voice was steady and cold but her face betrayed her. "Leave now."_

_Takagi reached out a hand to her but when she turned away, he withdrew it. He turned and headed to the door. Slipping his shoes on, he paused in the doorway._

"_I'm sorry."_

_He shut the door behind him._

_------ _

Actually, guilty was an understatement. He hated himself for saying what he did and he deserved whatever she had to dish out. That's if Satou considered him worthy of her wrath any longer, a possibility he was finding more and more unlikely.

Takagi had been given the day off today but he was still heading over to the station to poke around the latter end of investigations. There was a lot of paperwork to be filled out and even though there was others that were bound to be taking care of his duties, he preferred to be there and supervise it himself. Takagi was also sure that Megure-keibu would haul him into his office to demand why he had kept the case to himself. He mildly hoped that the inspector would wait until Kudo Shinichi was free. At the very least, Kudo-kun could expand on things he still did not understand.

Grabbing his keys, he headed out the door and to his car. As he turned onto the busy city streets, his mind once again drifted to Satou. Takagi wondered how she would greet him when he arrived. Various scenarios flashed through his mind but it was the image of Satou silently returning his ring that nearly caused him to run a red light.

Takagi slammed the breaks and rested his forehead on the steering wheel. It had been a long night.

He managed to arrive at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department without further incident and as he parked his car, he recalled how badly he had slept the night before. His eyes had not remained precisely dry as he tossed and turned, his argument with Satou, gunshots and screams, as well as the image of Ran-chan being shot and Kudo-kun's subsequent rush to her side.

"That's why I didn't say anything. I didn't want you to get hurt." He muttered under his breath.

"_If Ran-chan had just known something… had an inkling of what to look for maybe she wouldn't be lying there!" _

Takagi shut his eyes and realized that Satou was right. He had a feeling that Kudo-kun was probably thinking the same thing. He sighed and headed to the entrance of the police station. Never before had he felt so removed from Satou. Not even when he thought her in love with Shiratori. At the very least, she still smiled warmly in his direction. Right now, however, there was a huge gap between them and he only hoped that she'd be willing to help him close it.

Takagi strode through the building and he observed people rushing about, picking up phones, hanging up on people, sending emails, receiving faxes. Conspiracy theories were being thrown about as well.

"The Kaitou KID was there? Really?"

"Was he stealing something?"

"I heard that famous actress Chris Vineyard was involved."

"I heard it was her mother, Sharon."

"Sharon's dead, isn't she?"

"That pretty girl from the news! Mizunashi-san, she was there!"

"Oh my gosh! Isn't Okino Yoko her friend?"

"There is NO WAY Yoko-chan is involved."

Takagi only continued to walk past and ignored the attempts of several people to flag him down. There was only one person he wanted to talk to and he'd answer any questions she wanted. As soon as he was done begging for her forgiveness.

He saw her immediately. She was sitting at her desk, her face in her hands and she looked up to greet Yumi, who was bringing her some coffee. Takagi noted the weak smile Satou gave her friend and he headed toward her.

But Satou looked up in time and saw him. A sad expression crossed her face and she rose quickly from her seat and nearly ran down the hallway away from him.

"Wait! Miwako…" He glanced around at the onlookers. "Satou-san!" Takagi finished calling out to her and hesitated. Should he wait for her to cool down? She looked about as tired as he was. Did he have the right to bother her now when all of this chaos was unfolding? He'd just be adding on to her stress, right?

She needed to know the truth though. She needed to know why. He needed to tell her all the things he had wanted to last night before he'd massively screwed it up.

Takagi began to go after Satou when Yumi's sigh of relief paused him. "Oh, thank God!"

Stopping in his tracks, Takagi looked at her. "What?"

Yumi looked at him vaguely irritated. "I thought you were just going to stand there. I don't know what happened between you two but she ran away pretty quickly just now and I thought you were just going to let her go."

Takagi scowled. "I would never- oh forget it." He jogged past her and went down the hallway, scanning for Satou. He glanced through the window of the conference room and found her standing there, staring out the window.

He opened the door carefully and stepped inside. Takagi opened his mouth to speak.

"Be sure to lock that door. I don't want anyone to barge in during our talk." Satou beat him to the punch but her words were spoken softly. She turned to face him before taking a seat at the table. "Hi."

Takagi stared at her for a moment before turning back to ensure that the door was indeed locked. He took the seat across from her and folded his hands in front of him. "Hi… Satou-san I-"

"Oh we're not going back to honorifics, are we?" She looked at him incredulously before continuing. "We're in a fight and I'm incredibly angry with you but I don't think I could go back to calling you Takagi-kun." She bit her lip and looked down.

Takagi leaned forward and she looked up. "Miwako…I'm sorry. Everything I said. I shouldn't have accused you of only caring about your involvement in the case. It was stupid and I was just upset. The only reason I didn't say anything, aside from Kudo-kun, was because I didn't want you to get hurt." He paused and waited for her to say something but Satou didn't reply and looked away.

"Miwako? I…"

"You promised me that you'd never go away and leave me behind." Satou turned back to him, her eyes teary. "Don't you remember? At the amusement park-" She clenched her fists. "You left me behind; we're _partners_ and if something happens I should be there to back you up! This was all so dangerous and if something had happened to you I _don't know what I'd do_!" Her voice cracked and Satou tried to conceal the tears that began to fall.

Takagi shot up from his chair and Satou got up to meet him halfway when he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He murmured. "You're right. I did promise…"

Satou leaned back and wiped her tears away. "Look, I get it. I really do and I understand why you did it." She rested her hands on his shoulders. "It's just that…I'm not fragile and I know that _you_ know it." Takagi nodded but continued to listen. "I'm glad that you want to protect me but the sentiment goes both ways. I want to protect you too and I can't do that if you leave me behind."

Takagi sighed and sat back on the table. "I'm sorry and I know I keep saying it but I really am. I always wished you were with me while I was doing all the detective work. You're much smarter than I am." He took her hands in his. "I love you and I never wanted to keep it from you simply for the sake of keeping it from you. And I really hate myself for saying…what I did last night."

She threaded her fingers through his. "I forgive you and I'm sorry too. I wasn't being very understanding last night." Satou sighed. "We both were just really high-strung. I'm sorry I kicked you out too. I just though I'd say something I'd regret."

"Well, you thought of that faster than I did." He groaned. "Did I mention how sorry I am?" Satou chuckled and hugged him in response. "It's fine, really." Her expression grew more serious. "We should probably head to the hospital. I want to visit Ran-chan and maybe convince Kudo-kun to go eat something. If he's not careful, when she wakes up, _he's _going to need a hospital bed."

Takagi nodded and stood. "We should probably stop by and bring flowers. Coffee too, come to think of it. I doubt Mouri-san is holding up well, either."

After they had let Megure-keibu know that they were leaving for a few hours (and Megure warned Takagi that he had some explaining to do), they chatted about meaningless topics whilst walking down the department stairwells. However, something Satou had said in the conference room earlier stuck with him and kept him from fully focusing.

They were almost outside the building when suddenly Takagi tugged at her hand, stopping them both, and turned to face her. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you either." He looked at her intently, not breaking their eye contact.

Satou looked at him for a moment before reaching up to share a kiss. Takagi was more than happy to respond as his engagement worries from earlier abated.

Satou tilted her head back slightly. "Just don't leave me behind and I'll always stay with you." Takagi simply nodded silently and pressed a kiss to her lips again. They walked out of the department, hand in hand, and closed the distance.

**------ **

**The End**

**------ **

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait. It's a bit of a departure from the usual fluff so I hope you all still like it. Just my way of working in a bit of the Detective Conan main plot into the lives of our favorite cops. Hope you enjoyed and let me know if you like it! Yay for number 10!!!

* * *


	11. Happy Birthday

Title: Happy Birthday  
Author/Artist: sapphirestars  
Pairing: Takagi/Satou  
Fandom: Detective Conan  
Theme: #11 Gardenia  
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did...I would give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable. I also do not own the quotes used. They belong to Otomo No Yakamochi and Dag Hammarskjold, respectively.

------

The gardenia symbolizes a hidden love. While kept secret, it cannot grow or flourish. Gardenias are white, pure…much like the love they represent. However, secret love can become disheartened and bitter. It is unrequited.

More than anything that person wants their love to be reciprocated. Therein lies the problem, however. The love is so entrenched within that they can't let it out. They can't reveal how they feel because they fear rejection too much. The very thought that their love might turn away, might abandon them forever, is simply too much to stand. It's better this way. Better to stand off to the side. Just close enough…no, never close enough.

"_Better never to have met you in my dream than to wake and reach for hands that are not there."_

That wasn't right. Dreams could be so vivid, so real. In dreams, they could build a life. A life where they were loved. A life where the one they reached for was right there. They could touch them. They could love them…and they were loved. Loved like they always hoped they would be…like they had desperately wanted to be.

They were loved in the way they had always imagined. They had wasted away their days imagining it.

Yes, waking up was terrible. After awhile though, it was as if they didn't. There was a dreamy haze all around. It dulled the ache of waking up alone. Because this way they could see them now…a vision in their head. It's as real as they could ever hope it could be. They want to reach out; they _try _to reach out. But they can't. They're too far now. _She _is too far now. It's been too long and _he_ can't. He's tried…no one has tried harder than him.

Because even if he could have before, it's too late now. He can't reach. He can't reach _her_.

In his dreams, she's as close as she can get. But she's not real. She'll never be real. Maybe they're right after all.

------

_"Perhaps a great love is never returned."_

A tall dark-haired man set down a bouquet of gardenias at the base of a grave. He knelt down and traced the carvings on the stone. Biting his lip, he crossed his legs and sat in front of it like he had so many times before. He rarely spoke; he simply watched and remembered. Remembered what had been and what hadn't.

Takagi Wataru clenched his eyes shut and forcefully sucked in air. It never failed; it had been three years now and his lungs always seemed to close up when he came here to visit her. It usually disappeared after a moment, but the sensation was uncomfortable just the same.

He came here quite often. Too often, some might say. He didn't care what they said.

He fingered the petals on the white flower and sat the way he always did. Something was bothering him today, though. He knew what it was, and he tried to shove it out of his mind. As if life wasn't hard enough, he didn't need to make sweeping speeches to the wind.

His eyes trailed over the name on the marker. Satou Miwako. Only 27 years old. How the hell was that fair? How was it even remotely fair? It wasn't damn it. Not fair at all.

This time, Takagi exhaled forcefully. It didn't help to get angry. It didn't help at all. He couldn't stop it though. Just like he couldn't help visiting her grave regularly. Just like he couldn't seem to keep the words he'd always wanted to say out of his mind right now.

It didn't matter now, right? She couldn't hear him. In his dreams, Satou knew. She knew how much he loved her. How much he missed her still.

It was her birthday today. She would have turned 30.

Takagi could see her, sort of. In his mind's eye, she was smiling at him with an amused expression on her face. The way she had looked at him so many times before. She had been waiting for him to say something. Maybe. He had no way of knowing that now.

"You're going to waste away right here."

Takagi looked up at the voice. Inspector Shiratori stood over the grave, holding a bouquet of yellow roses. He smiled wryly at the gardenias Takagi had placed. "Very fitting." His tone was not mocking; it was miserable with traces of loneliness.

"Hello yourself." Takagi sighed and stood up. "I should get back to work."

"Don't worry about it. Megure knows where you are. He doesn't expect you back." Shiratori set his flowers in front of the marker. "Happy Birthday, Miwako."

He looked at Takagi. "It's personal, I know. What have I got to lose though, right?"

Takagi simply nodded but Shiratori continued.

"You should tell her. She would have wanted to know."

Takagi looked at him sharply. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do. You know you should. Just tell her."

Takagi didn't say anything and simply turned away. Shiratori sighed and began walking away before stopping.

"You've got to forgive yourself and move on, Takagi-kun."

He heard a sharp intake of breath but the inspector kept walking anyway.

------

Takagi was once again sitting cross-legged in front of her grave.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly and gazed down at the flowers he had brought her. "I'm sorry I never told you I loved you."

He grasped his hands tightly and tried to soothe the nervous knot that had formed. It was morbidly funny. Even now, he still found it hard to tell her everything.

"I've loved you all along. It's ridiculous, really. The moment I arrived at the MPD there you were. You were beautiful. I never told you that either. I always thought you were beautiful."

"I should have told you all of this before. You deserved to know it even if you didn't feel the same way. I wanted you too, though. Did you? I don't know. I guess I never will."

"It's still no excuse. I could just never seem to get the words out." Takagi swallowed roughly and paused for a moment.

"I was afraid. Afraid that you'd never want me. I couldn't blame you either. Who'd want to date a mediocre detective? But I loved you more than anyone ever could have. I _still_ love you more than anyone could."

His hands were shaky now.

"You shouldn't have gotten into that car. That was my assignment, and I turned my back for a moment, and you were inside. It was a dangerous case, and you didn't want me to take it. You were always like that. So you took the car and then less than a mile away…it blew up."

Takagi clenched his eyes shut and tried to rid the images from his mind.

"You were always trying to protect everyone. Everyone you cared about. You didn't want to lose anyone again. Why didn't you let me protect you? I should have told you…I should have been in that car with you. We were partners…we haven't caught them but I will. I promise."

He rubbed his temples. He'd never voiced any of this. "I was so stupid. I know that now. Hell, I knew that then. I was just afraid. Look what that got me.

"The thing is I don't know whether you loved me but if you did…then I can't help but think about all we could have had."

There was so much they could have had. So many things he could only dream of now.

"If you didn't…I still wish I had told you. I would have stayed though. I would never have left you because you were my best friend. If you didn't love me, I would have figured out a way."

"That's what I miss about you most. The fact that we were always together. That's why I keep coming here. I miss you. I wanted you around all the time then, and I still do. That's why three years later, I'm still here. I need you."

Takagi stood. "I'm going to be here because the truth is I don't want to go. I can't forgive myself because I owe you too much."

"I can't move on, and I can't forget you. I don't want to, either. I can still see you."

He swallowed roughly again and took a few steps back. "I love you. I'll be back soon, ok? Happy Birthday...Miwako."

The sun was setting and patches of pink and violent patterned the sky. The remaining light traced his shadow along the grass. Takagi turned around and slowly began to walk back to his car. He would return.

------

The End.

------

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. This is pretty different from what I've done for these two in the past, right? Hope you enjoy and I hope you don't kill me! 

------


	12. Sports Day

**Title:** Sports Day  
**Author/Artist:** magic truth  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/ Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #16 invincible/unrivaled  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

------

The annual MPD soccer game had run into overtime and the game would be settled with penalty shootouts, that is one team would get 3 attempts at a goal. If they scored at least two out of three, they'd win.

Fate seemed to think the whole situation was hilarious, particularly because Shiratori was the goalie and Takagi would be kicking the (hopefully) winning shots. Satou was off to the side with the rest of the team, cheering Takagi on.

"Woo-hoo! You can do it Takagi-kun!" Satou cheered and pumped her fists in the air.

Takagi blushed and grinned. He wasn't a soccer prodigy but it was nice to know his fiancée was cheering him on. Shiratori was currently attempting to psych him out. For example, "If you don't make the shots, your team will lose. You don't want that on your shoulders, do you Takagi?"

Takagi frowned at his taunts. He ran forward and kicked the ball. It shot forward quickly—

Shiratori lunged to stop it—

**GOAL!**

Takagi's team erupted into cheers, whereas Shiratori and his teammates sneered (funny enough, the officers on the opposite team were the guys that usually accosted Takagi in the interrogation room).

All right, time for the next shot. His confidence high, Takagi once again darted forward and kicked the ball—

—Straight into Shiratori's hands.

The opposite team burst into whoops and cheers. Needless to say, Takagi's confidence wasn't at an all time high. Why had he been picked for this anyway? Satou was the best player on their team. Oh right, because Chiba and Yumi thought it would be amusing.

Note to self: Find friends without sadistic streaks.

Takagi's teammates were calling out encouraging words. Though the fact that they were relying on him was nerve-wracking in and of it self.

Takagi began to run forward when suddenly Satou appeared in front of him and kicked the ball.

Maybe it was Shiratori's surprise at her intervention or Satou was just that good (or both) but the ball shot through the air past Shiratori's hands and into the net.

Takagi was dumbstruck as their team begin to shout victory. Satou whirled around with a bright smile on her face. She jogged toward him, swung her arms around his neck and kissed him.

It didn't take long for Takagi to return the kiss, see fireworks, and lift her clean off her feet.

It also didn't take long for Shiratori and the other officers to claim Satou had cheated.

One death glare from Satou silenced them, especially after Yumi reminded them that somebody had _accidentally_ aimed a sharp kick at Takagi's knee earlier.

Satou spoke in low tones. "I could tell you were nervous so I decided to jump in, it's ok right?"

Maybe a lesser man would have been humiliated that his fiancée had to help him out but not Takagi.

He grinned. "Of course not! Besides, we're partners, right?"

"Right." Satou smiled, linked her hand with his and they went off to celebrate with the rest of the team.

------

The End

------

A/N: This is a short story but I kind of wanted to take a different approach with some of the fics in this challenge. A bit like snapshots from their lives. Plus, I tend to write very long fics and I've been wanting to challenge myself. Make them short but still satisfying. I hope it worked! Please review and thanks for reading!


	13. Lost In A Dream

Title: Lost in a Dream  
Author/Artist: sapphirestars  
Pairing: Takagi/Satou  
Fandom: Detective Conan  
Theme: #14 radio-cassette player  
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did...I would give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

------

From Takagi's vantage point, sitting at his desk listening to his mp3 player, Satou Miwako was leaning against _her_ desk chatting with Yumi. The traffic officer was happily chatting and asking question about the upcoming wedding. Satou was showing off her engagement ring. Well, 'showing off' was the wrong word to use; instead, Yumi was grabbing Satou's left hand, examining the ring up close, and squealing in excitement. All of this despite the fact that she had seen Satou's ring hundreds of times.

Satou looked appropriately embarrassed at Yumi's attentions but she noticed Takagi glancing in her direction and she turned to give him a bright smile. He couldn't help the blush that rose up his cheeks. Some things would never change.

Takagi removed his headphones and began to rise to deter Yumi when another tall young man beat him to it.

Matsuda Junpei walked towards his fiancée, Satou and gave her with a kiss. She blushed but greeted him warmly amidst Yumi's giggling.

Takagi slowly sunk back into his seat. Public displays of affection weren't really Matsuda's style but Takagi assumed it was to save Yumi from further wedding inquiries. He chuckled sadly to himself.

Matsuda-kun was the star of the department. He had successfully disassembled a bomb in a Ferris Wheel four years ago with only seconds to spare. It had seemed like all hope was lost but he had managed to figure out the bomber's clue in time. The incident had made the detective into the much-beloved assistant inspector he was today. The young man was effortlessly cool, laidback, incredibly intelligent and popular. He had been dating Satou since the night of the bombing incident, when he'd asked her out to dinner.

Takagi had joined the MPD a year after that incident, and he had been instantly smitten with Satou Miwako. It didn't take long before he was clued in to her relationship with her boyfriend and partner, Matsuda Junpei.

Truth be told, a part of Takagi had always thought that he might have a chance. They were actually good friends; she had taken a liking to him after an initial bumpy start, when he'd been too nervous to speak much to her. Takagi had secretly hoped that one day she would just turn and see him in a new light.

Then again, he wasn't the only guy in the department that loved her. Nearly every other guy also had a crush on Satou, she was very popular. Takagi knew that if any man but Matsuda had proposed marriage to her, the officers would have hauled the poor guy into the interrogation room.

Takagi sighed and placed his headphone back on, turning back to some old case files. An old American song was playing, Takagi remembered that he'd heard it once on the radio and liked it. His English wasn't perfect but he could figure out the song well enough.

He looked up once again to see Matsuda and Satou pouring over the files from a manila envelope and talking seriously. Takagi assumed that they were looking over the contents of a case.

------

_Baby, I'd love you to want me  
The way that I want you  
The way that it should be  
Baby, you'd love me to want you  
The way that I want to  
If you'd only let it be_

------

Even though he logically knew he didn't have a chance, Takagi had still not managed to get over Satou. How could he? Takagi saw her every day and often worked with her on group investigations. Aside from all of that, she was his friend. They talked in the break room, she laughed at his jokes, he laughed at hers, and they'd even had lunch together a few times. The only clincher was that the love was one-sided. There was no doubt in his mind that Satou was very much in love with her fiancée.

Takagi couldn't even bring himself to say a bad word on Matsuda, either. The guy was freakishly intelligent and he was fond of Takagi; he wasn't above giving quick compliments of Takagi's detective skills. Matsuda never let his co-inspector Shiratori bully any subordinates. In short, there was no way Takagi could ever bring himself to try to steal Satou away (even if he had that prowess).

------  
_You told yourself years ago  
You'd never let your feelings show  
The obligation that you made  
For the title that they gave_  
------

"Hey now, you need to get out of dream-land if you ever plan to finish up that case report." Shaken out of his daze, Takagi looked up to see the lady of his affection looking down at him with a quizzical smile. "Wake up, sleeping detective!" She waved her fingers in front of him.

He smiled up at her. "Sorry, Satou-san, I guess I got lost in my thoughts." Takagi could feel his heart beat increase and his palms get a little sweaty. He shuffled and re-shuffled the files in his hands.

She pulled a chair from an empty desk nearby and sat down. "So, Yumi was getting a little over-excited with the wedding talk. I forget that she wishes I was wearing some fluffy sparkly concoction for a wedding dress." Satou shook her head in disgust.

Takagi tried to imagine Satou-san in a princess-esque wedding dress. He chuckled at the image. "She's probably just really excited for you."

Satou nodded ruefully. "I know but sometimes she drives me just a tad nuts. I tried to convince her to buy something really girly for her bridesmaid dress but she said that would go against the rules. No upstaging the bride." She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'm getting married! All eyes are going to be on me anyway, isn't that the point of having a ceremony instead of city hall?"

Takagi smiled fondly at her. "Well, I'm sure you'll look really beautiful no matter what, Satou-san." He replied and instantly regretted it. Was that too much of a compliment?

Her eyes widened slightly and a blush appeared on her cheeks. "That's very sweet of you, Takagi-kun. Thank you." She beamed at him.

Takagi just shrugged nervously. "It's only the truth, Satou-san. I'm sure everyone would agree."

"Still, it's a very nice thing to say." Satou seemed to ponder something for a moment but gave an imperceptible head shake. "Are you coming to karaoke and Chinese tonight, Takagi-kun?"

"Yeah, definitely." Takagi grinned. "I have a bet with Chiba-kun. I think Megure-keibu will sing the theme from Lucky Star if we give him enough sake. Chiba thinks that Megure has enough dignity even while drunk and wouldn't dare."

Satou laughed out loud. "Put me down for 300 yen. I will _personally_ make sure he drinks enough sake." She rose from her seat. "I've gotta go. We're going to follow up on a witness from that bank robbery last week. See you tonight, Takagi-kun."

He nodded. "And I have to finish this. See you later, Satou-san." She waved before turning and walking away.

Takagi watched her for a moment. He couldn't help but sigh. Life wasn't fair and he knew it. On some days, though, it hurt worse than usual. Takagi felt someone looking at him and he turned to meet Matsuda-kun's eye. The young man seemed to have been observing him and Takagi couldn't help but panic a bit. He didn't think Matsuda would take kindly to his love for Satou.

But Matsuda didn't stalk over angrily, which would have been extremely out of character for the cool as a cucumber man. He seemed to read Takagi's expression before giving him a small smile and a nod.

Takagi could guess what the other man was thinking. Nonetheless, he smiled and nodded as well. Matsuda faintly waved, turned and followed in the direction Satou had gone.

The detective leaned back in his chair and wished, not for the first time, that life could be a little different. When he faced facts though, Takagi knew that he wanted Satou's happiness more than anything. He only wished that happiness could be with him, if she'd only want it that way.

As he tried to focus, images of Satou walking towards _him_ in a white dress floated through his mind, Takagi Wataru knew that would never be the case.

------  
_Baby, I'd love you to want me  
The way that I want you  
The way that it should be  
Baby, you'd love me to want you  
The way that I want to  
If you'd only let it be_

------

------

The End.

------

A/N: Sorry for the wait! Yes, I know. Matsuda is not dead. This is actually an idea that I've been tossing around for awhile and I always wondered what would happen if Matsuda had made it out of the ferris wheel incident. Would Satou and Matsuda begun dating aqnd what not? Well, we'll never know but in this story, she's going to marry him. And Takagi is sad. I'm sorry about that since I love Takagi. He's adorable.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the read and don't hate me too much. And if you can drop off a review? Thanks!

Also, if you want to see the Lucky Star anime opening... it's available on youtube. Just imagine drunk- Megure singing that. Hee!

------


	14. Prank

**Title:** Prank  
**Author/Artist:** sapphirestars/magic truth  
**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako  
**Fandom:** Detective Conan  
**Theme:** #19 red  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

--

Takagi Wataru was just walking through the office, minding his own business. Most people saw it fit to leave Takagi alone, unless he needed to be dragged into the interrogation room. However, Takagi was used to this by now and for the most part, he expected not to be bothered.

Apparently, he hadn't thought to check the calendar. It was April Fools' Day.

It wasn't his fault really; his morning had been very busy what with losing his keys. He had found them eventually… on the wall shelf key holder by the door. What the heck had they been doing there?

Anyhow, Takagi had just reached his chair when Matsumi-kun, a rookie cop, came jogging over. "Takagi! Takagi! TAKAGI!" Matsumi whispered furiously before stopping to take a breath. "You won't believe what I just overheard! Yumi-san and Satou-san were talking together in the break room."

Takagi raised an eyebrow. "Yes, sometimes they talk together. They are friends."

Matsumi rolled his eyes. "No, it's what they were talking about that's important, Takagi-kun." He took a deep breath. "Satou was confessing to having a crush on you!"

Takagi's heart stopped.

Well, nearly.

"She…what? Crush…her…me?" Takagi stammered and gripped his desk.

"Yes! Satou-san has a crush on you! Don't try to hide it. Everyone knows you have the hots for her. Then Yumi asked her if she wanted to kiss you, and she said yes _again_!" Matsumi grinned excitedly for his co-worker. "This is your chance! Go talk to her! You already know how she feels!"

Takagi made to stand but then hesitated. "Wait, I don't know…maybe you heard wrong?"

Matsumi sighed frustrated. "Just how long do you plan on keeping your mouth shut?"

Takagi thought for a moment before finally standing, a determined look on his face. "You're right. I'm going to the break room."

The young detective began striding over to the break room; he didn't notice that all eyes were on him. Matsumi was trailing behind him with a huge grin on his face.

He stopped at the doorway and noticed Yumi and Satou still sitting at the table chatting. "Satou-san?" He asked loudly and stepped forward, not noticing the wire attached to the bottom of the door. He stepped forward. "Could I talk to—?"

And _**whoosh!**_ Takagi tripped over the wire and fell forward. To add insult to injury a pail of water dropped over him.

"GAH!!"

"APRIL FOOLS! Ha Ha Ha Ha!" The crowd of police officers behind Takagi erupted in laughter.

"What's going on?" Satou asked irritated. She went forward to help Takagi up. "Kind of a lame prank if you ask me. A pail of water over his head?"

Takagi blushed red and tried to laugh it off. "I can't believe I fell for that." He muttered under his breath.

Matsumi and Shiratori bent forward laughing. "I can't believe you thought that Satou-san would have said that!" Matsumi wrapped his arms around his rib cage, aching from amusement. Shiratori nudged the young officer. "Shut up!"

Satou scowled. "And just what did you tell him I said?" She crossed her arms menacingly.

Takagi waved his hands frantically. "It was nothing! Nothing, really! Not important…at all." He looked meaningfully at the two pranksters. _Shut up. _

"Quiet, Takagi-kun. Just what did you tell him I said, Matsumi-kun?" Satou asked the young officer cheerfully. If cheerful could be conveyed through a smile on the face and the threat of imminent death in their voice.

Matsumi started talking. "It wasn't my idea! Inspector Shiratori thought that we should play a little joke on Takagi-kun. I told him that you had told Yumi-chan that you had a crush on him and…wanted to kiss him." The last few words were mumbled as Matsumi's face began to resemble a tomato.

"You told him I…oh!" Satou frowned and tried to ignore the patches of red appearing on _her_ cheeks. "I see. Takagi came over to speak to me about it and this oh-so-elaborate prank was pulled."

She nodded slowly and looked down at her shoes; the rest of the officers watched her nervously, including Takagi.

Satou looked straight at the crowd with a sly smile on her face. "Well, the joke is on you."

She turned and kissed Takagi, full on the mouth.

The crowd gasped in unison.

Takagi was frozen for a moment. Surely, Satou was just trying to tease their co-workers? However, she wasn't letting go, her fingers were threading through his hair, and her lips were insistent. Impulse kicked in and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

When one kiss turned into many kisses, people began to cough nervously.

When Satou wrapped her arms around him, people began to shuffle their shoes uncomfortably.

The couple finally backed away from each other, only to hear the quick apologies and averted eyes of their co-workers. "Sorry, Takagi-kun. No hard feelings? Probably shouldn't have joked about your undying love…err…I have work to do."

They didn't truly hustle until Megure-keibu shouted that there had been a robbery at Beika bank. Otherwise, Sleeping Kogoro would solve it again. How were you supposed to be promoted when a private detective was solving everything?

The partners nodded silently and then turned to each other. Getting your composure book is harder than it sounds.

Takagi let out a sigh and scratched his head. "So…um, Satou-san…that was a good way to get back at the guys. Nice April Fools' joke."

Satou looked at him puzzled before she grinned. "That kiss was definitely not a joke, Takagi-kun."

Takagi blushed and tried to think of a response but Satou pulled him into the break room, giggling. "I think they've got this case; we've earned our break."

--

**The End**

--

A/N: wipes forehead Phew! Ok, so I quite nearly lost my pairing but all is good now! Obviously, this was written as a tribute to April Fools' Day. No, I don't know whether Japan celebrates this holiday but it does for the purpose of my story. Creative license.

Thanks for reading! Please review!

--


	15. Lower Back Pain

Title: Lower Back Pain  
Author/Artist: magictruth  
Pairing: Satou/Takagi  
Fandom: Detective Conan  
Theme: #3 Jolt!  
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

--

If Takagi had had the option of not coming into work today, he would have taken it. However, the doctor had given Takagi a clean bill of health and declared him ready for work.

Apparently, some people were not capable of understanding the concept of MAJOR back pain. Said doctor told him to walk it off and take pills. Takagi hated pills but he hated the pain more.

Body aching, Takagi headed toward his desk for the first time in over a week.

It had been a big car accident. All lanes of the Shuto Expressway had closed as the vehicle he had been in pursuit of flipped over the center divider and slammed into an 18-wheeler. This was after the same car had sideswiped his car, forcing him to collide with another car… _and then_ be struck from behind.

Miraculously no one died and he earned a stern talking to from Megure. It came down to, "There's a reason we have helicopters to track cars, you know. So that our cops don't get too close and die."

Satou had given him a dark eye as well but hadn't said a word. It had been her day off; he wasn't entirely sure why she was mad. It could have very well been because he had been in a car chase without her.

As he gingerly settled into his chair, he was startled by the sound of a stack papers slammed on his desk.

"Here's what you're behind on," started Satou just as Takagi yelped in pain.

She raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"

He winced. "Ah, my back still hurts a bit. The doctor was less than helpful."

"I'll tell Megure. Don't you _dare_ budge from that desk Takagi. "

"Y-yes." He replied before sliding in his seat slightly to get more comfortable. He wasn't going to last very long if the pain kept coming back.

By the end of the day, Takagi worked through most of his paperwork and had discovered a new technique in interrogating, namely staying seated. Perhaps the suspect felt they could relate to him. However, it was more the case of Takagi's 'down to business' expression, which was really an attempt to fight the pain.

"Takagi-kun!" called out a familiar female voice behind him just as he rolled away from his desk, the last to leave.

"Oh, Satou-san. I thought you'd left already."

"No, I was called to a crime scene after lunch," Satou sighed as she leaned against his desk.

"Let me guess, Mouri?"

"Worse… the children. They're the most inquisitive bunch of seven year olds I've ever had the pleasure to meet."

Takagi laughed and then winced as she emphasized the word "pleasure." Satou jumped forward, immediately concerned. "Are you all right?"

He groaned. "I - got used - to sitting in the chair all day - forgot to take - the pills."

His breath evened out as the pain receded into a dull throb.

"How about I give you a ride home?"

"That sounds good," Takagi rose from his seat and was about to reach for his bag when Satou's hand pressed on his shoulder, keeping him seated.

"Now, I wouldn't usually do this…" Her hand moved softly across his chest.

Takagi was _very_ surprised when Satou sat on his lap.

"I _do not_ like sitting in people's laps. Never a fan of Santa." She shifted her skirt, "This is a woman thing…not a little girl thing." She muttered under her breath.

Takagi was trying his hardest to keep his cool with her seated so close. It wasn't working. He cleared his throat, trying to deepen his voice, and said, "Well there's always a first for everything. Maybe you'll learn to like it."

Satou raised an eyebrow, "Well I know something _you_ like."

Takagi broke into a sweat as her face drew closer to his, her lips near.

What followed was definitely a jolt to his system. A very positive jolt to his system.

--

**The End**

--

A/N: I am so sorry this is so late but I've been trying to work out my time management skills now that I'm balancing the whole career thing and what with my job eating up my whole life.

--


	16. At Last

Title: At Last  
Author/Artist: magic_truth  
Pairing: Satou/Takagi  
Fandom: Detective Conan  
Theme: #20. the road home

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

Warning: Spoilers for File 673 of Detective Conan.

*****

Finally.

Takagi crossed his arms as he lay on the hospital bed. He had been kept overnight for observation but he didn't feel too bad. Actually, that was a lie. He felt fantastic. He was over the moon. In short, Takagi could not stop grinning like an idiot.

Why? Because Satou had kissed him. Finally.

Even though he was sleeping on an uncomfortable hospital mattress and wished he was home in his bed, things were fantastic. Even though the majority of his day had been spent solving a crime, getting beaten up and shot, Takagi was giving the day an A+. If the end result is amazing, what did it matter if things were a little messy along the way?

When he'd awoken earlier, Satou's pretty face had come into view. Her eyes were red rimmed and teary but she was happy to see him.

After his reassurances that he was absolutely fine, he couldn't help but jibe her a bit about some of their near death/near kiss experiences. Takagi was a little irritated with the fates in regards to his love life. Things always seem to drag on before finally building up and exploding… and after today Takagi did not think he would ever complain about that again.

Satou had smiled at him during his little rant before leaning in. His eyes had flown open, when she pressed her lips to his.

Takagi had always known it'd be wonderful to kiss Satou, he just hadn't expected it to feel like he'd arrived home. In a way, he had… because where ever Satou was Takagi always wanted to be. That was home.

As he began to drift asleep, Takagi recalled hearing voices outside his door just before Satou had kissed him. He must have been imagining it. It seems that just this once things had worked out for him just fine.

*****

The End.

*****

A/N: GAH!! Was anyone else as thrilled with that file as me? Finally, finally, finally!

This was short and sweet but I loved writing it. I know I haven't been updating this challenge as often as I should (or I'd like) but I am trying and am here for the long haul. Hope you all will stick with me! Thanks for reading!!


	17. Stay Professional

**Title: **Stay Professional

**Author/Artist: **magic_truth

**Pairing:** Takagi Wataru/ Satou Miwako

**Fandom: **Detective Conan

**Theme: **#24 good night

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

--`--`--

Satou Miwako did not care about getting married. Even though her mother insisted it was what all women aspired to, Satou could not have given marriage a second though. Satou aspired to be an inspector not Mrs. So-and-so. It didn't matter how many times her mother tricked her into matchmaking schemes, Satou's only thoughts were about her career.

Ok, most of the time. Right now as she was lying in bed waiting for sleep to hit, she was thinking about marriage. This was usually the time when these thoughts danced in her mind, driving her slowly insane.

Sometimes, Satou thought marriage would be kind of nice… if it was to the right guy and she was absolutely in love with him. She didn't want to marry somebody that was only perfect on paper. When she thought of what her mother wanted for her, Satou couldn't help but shudder. Handsome, upwardly-mobile, and wealthy.

She could think of a few men that fit her mother's description, most notably Shiratori at work. This only enhanced her conviction that her mother's notions of romance were hopelessly outdated. Satou couldn't picture herself marrying Shiratori ever. Ever. Oh sure, she respected him as a comrade and certainly admired his ambition but he was just too perfect.

Satou wanted someone kind and smart. Someone that would make her laugh. Someone that would mock late night soap dramas with her. Someone that would rather stay in and order take out than hit up some fancy restaurant. Somebody that would also be her friend. A man that could help her solve crimes and have her back when they were both in danger. At this point, Satou realized she was describing the perfect partner instead of the perfect boyfriend. But hey, who said they were mutually exclusive? She just wanted someone who'd love her. That didn't seem so wrong, right?

She didn't want anyone very handsome. That would be kind of intimidating, right? The most important thing was that she find him cute right? She didn't want him to look like a boy band member. She chuckled at the thought of dating some leather clad pop star. Her eyes slowly began to drift shut as she tried to picture who that man could be.

--`--`--

"Guess what, guess what, guess what?!" Satou's all too chipper friend Yumi verbally demonstrated her preference for mornings.

"No, don't tell me." Satou replied. Yumi frowned. "Why not?"

"Because if your this excited about the news, it's too early for me to hear without some coffee in me. For goodness sake, it's not even ten o'clock yet." Satou mumbled and kept walking down the hall to their break room.

This did not deter Yumi, however. "There's a new officer. Megure is going to introduce him to us."

"That's what your so excited about? We've known about that for weeks."

"Correction. That is not what I'm excited about. I'm excited about the fact that from a distance he looks pretty cute. It's about time we got some eye candy around here."

"Yumi, we are not part of the MPD for the eye candy. We are here to preserve -"

"- order and uphold justice within the city. Blah blah blah. I know. But would it kill the academy to recruit a few attractive boys? They don't seem to have a problem attracting pretty ladies. There should be equal opportunity objectification." Yumi grinned.

Satou laughed. "Equal opportunity objectification? You should trademark that phrase. All right, I have my coffee… let's go see what all your fuss was about."

The two women entered the office just as Megure was introducing the new officer. The chief gestured for the Satou to come over. "Satou, I'm glad you're here. I'd like to introduce you to Takagi Wataru."

Satou finally got a look at the new officer. He was tall with dark hair and blue eyes. He was boyishly good looking. Yep, Yumi had been right; he was definitely going to be eye candy for the women in the office minus herself. Satou didn't care for any of that, after all. She smiled and nodded at the new guy. "Satou Miwako, good to meet you."

Takagi's face began to turn pink and Satou held in a giggle. He was obviously embarrassed by too much attention. He nodded and shook her hand. "N-Nice to meet you too."

Megure continued. "Satou, I'd like you to take Takagi on as your new partner. You're one of the best we've got here and he'll be learning from the best." The chief turned to the new detective. "She'll keep you on your toes so be sure to be on your best game." He smiled at them both before heading off.

Yumi grinned cheerfully at Takagi. "Come on, we'll get you situated. There's an empty desk over here." She led Takagi away, surely chattering his ear off about all the office gossip.

Satou tilted her head and watched her new partner walk away. She wondered just what sort of guy he'd turn out to be. She would keep things casual and professional with this one. She frowned sadly at the memory of her last partner. Never again.

--`--`--

Takagi sorted his things on his desk as he prepared to leave for the day. It had been a long one. He had gone out on his first assignment with Satou-san and had not proven to be a complete idiot. He had poured through the mountains of paperwork and had also been subject to an interrogation by his male colleagues. Something they assured him, they conducted with all new male officers. Takagi also discovered that one of his fellow officers, Shiratori-san was not all too fond of him. Well, that was all right. Takagi wasn't too fond of him either. The man spent all his time trying to get close to Satou-san. When he couldn't be near her, he was busy staring at areas below her neckline.

He thought that was all unprofessional. Satou-san was an excellent cop and she merited everyone's respect. She was dedicated, highly intelligent, quick on her feet and cool. As a person, she was also clever and sweet and funny and pretty and… oh no.

_Oh no. _

Somehow, he didn't think it was a good idea to fall for his immediate superior. He had been suspicious of himself all day. He'd noticed the way his heartbeat raced when she walked into a room. He could feel his face go red when she smiled at him. And it was only his _first day_ on the job!

This did not bode well for him. Trying to rid himself of his thoughts, he gathered his things and headed out of the office. He was heading to the stairwell when he heard a voice call out to him. "Hey, wait up!"

Satou jogged to catch up to him. "I'll walk you to your car. How did you like your first day? Feel like quitting?" She grinned at him. Takagi held open a door for her and they proceeded down the stairs.

"Are you kidding? It was a great day, Satou-san. It was everything I was hoping for when I signed up for the academy. Except for the ritual interrogation. I did not appreciate 40 men inquiring about my life two feet from my face. Coffee and donuts do not contribute to nice breath."

Satou laughed. " I take it the men were a little hard on you. Don't worry, they'll come around. They always do."

"Heh. I don't know about that." He neglected to mention what they had been so nosy about, namely any budding feelings for his partner.

They went down the rest of the stairs and talked about the rest of the day. Satou did most of the talking; she briefly went over some of their open investigations. Although he had really liked Yumi and thought she'd be a good friend to him, he couldn't help but be glad Satou's voice was not nearly as high pitched.

They were in the parking lot when Satou popped her question. "So are you married Takagi-kun? I didn't notice a wedding ring on you."

Takagi blushed (why??) before answering. "Uh no, I'm not married. I don't have a girlfriend either."

Satou wondered at the blush that kissed his cheeks. "Do you live with family?"

"Uh, no. Just heading to my own apartment."

"Well, don't you ever get lonely? My mother can be a bit of a pain," She rolled her eyes. "But I don't know if I'd like coming home to an empty house.."

Takagi shrugged. "My family doesn't live in this part of the city and I don't have anyone to room with. It's fine."

"Well, maybe you'll find a nice girl to marry soon. Oh no, I sound just like my mother." She groaned and placed her face in her hands.

Takagi laughed. "Marital pressure from your family too, huh? I don't know Satou-san. I'm not really looking for that sort of thing right now."

_Unless it's with you, of course. No. Shut up. Stupid brain._

Satou nodded. "Me neither. Being an officer is a full time job. 24/7. It doesn't leave much time for romance. Besides when I head home, I am dead tired. Who has time to go to singles clubs and find somebody?"

They had reached their cars. Takagi grinned. "No, I agree. Besides, I don't know that I'd like to date someone who went to clubs all the time? I'm not a great dancer."

They stood just a few feet away from each other.

Satou laughed. "It would have to be very special. Someone you wouldn't mind taking a break from work to be with." She looked down at her shoes suddenly embarrassed. She hadn't revealed this much about herself to anybody since… well, never mind.

She looked back at up Takagi. His eyes were smiling at her and she couldn't help the flutter that went through her just then. She couldn't stop the delighted smile that crossed her face. What was wrong with her? She wanted to reach over and…

_Nothing. Nothing at all._

Satou cleared her throat nervously. "Well, it was nice start to our partnership, right? You don't want to ask for someone else, do you?"

Takagi shook his head but the expression in his eyes didn't change. "No, not at all. I think we're going to make a great team."

She beamed before placed a hand on his shoulder. "Have a good night, Takagi-kun." Satou began to head over quickly to her car before turning back. "If you start to get lonely, maybe our unit can start to go out to karaoke bars after work. It'll be fun."

She said before continuing to her car

Takagi shook himself out of his daze. "Oh yeah! Absolutely. Sounds like fun." He called out before getting into his own car. He watched her drive off before taking a deep breath and starting his own car. "Whoa… " He breathed. So much for staying professional.

As she arrived to her apartment, Satou couldn't help but remember what she'd thought about last night. Someone kind and smart… someone she trusted. "The perfect partner... "

Satou tried to rid her mind of the thoughts but couldn't stop the smile that danced across her face when she fully realized she'd be seeing him tomorrow. "Yes, I think we will make a great team."

--`--`--

The End

--`--`--

A/N: Well, finally! This one does have a few throwbacks to earlier chapters of the challenge. That and with Valentine's Day coming up, those of us that are unattached will undoubtedly hear questions such as "Why don't you have a blah blah blah?" So I decided to play on that a bit. Hope you enjoyed. Expect another one soon. And I by soon, I do not mean not for another two months.


	18. Spy Time

Title: Spy Time  
Author/Artist: magic_truth  
Pairing: Satou/Takagi  
Fandom: Detective Conan  
Theme: #30. kiss

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

*****

She had heard of it. Everyone had heard of it but no one had seen it. Yoshida Ayumi was fairly confident that Satou-keiji and Takagi-keiji had kissed. When he had ended up in the hospital, Satou had rushed to his side. It had been so romantic and the rumor in the hospital had been that a nurse had seen them kissing.

Ayumi was also fairly certain that Conan-kun knew something. Every single time she brought them up he chuckled like he knew a secret. Boys could be so weird sometimes.

Right now, she was peering from behind a bush. She was spying at the two officers enjoying their Saturday off. They were holding hands and walking through the park.

She raised her binoculars to her eyes. Satou and Takagi were grinning and laughing at some joke. "I guess their jokes are funnier than Professor Agasa's." She muttered.

Both Genta and Mitsuhiko had opted out of coming along. "Gross! I don't want to see them kiss!" Genta had whined. Mitsuhiko had nodded but blushed a lot. He also stared at Ai-chan. Duh, Ayumi was no dummy. Mitsuhiko was in love with Ai-chan, plain as day. "They both should have come with me and then they'd get together after they saw Takagi kiss Satou."

Nothing so far, not even a kiss on the cheek. They were grownups! Isn't that what grownups did? Ayumi was pretty sure that kissing was what Ran-neechan wanted to do all day with Shinichi-niisan. She didn't say anything but a lady like Ayumi could always tell.

Ayumi had assumed that Satou and Takagi had already kissed because they were practically engaged. Wasn't that a rule? Plus Takagi was so nice and Satou was so nice. Two nice people that always save the city should be happy, right?

As she pondered the larger than life love questions, movement with the couple caught her eye. Takagi bent to pluck a daisy from the grass. He blushed and placed it in Satou's hair. She smiled and paused for a moment before leaning in for an unmistakable kiss.

Ayumi squealed with delight and inadvertently fell backwards. She grabbed her stuff to run off and play with her friends. For once, it wouldn't be her fault if they were interrupted.

She looked back for a minute and saw Takagi and Satou continued to wander through the park trees. She smirked, "It's about time!" before buzzing in on her Detective Boy's badge ready to solve the next mystery.

--`--`--

The End

--`--`--

A/N: This is just a brief snapshot moment. The kids have always been so invested in their relationship and it was nice to play with a different point of view. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!


	19. Ambition

Title: Ambition  
Author/Artist: sapphirestars  
Pairing: Satou/Takagi  
Fandom: Detective Conan  
Theme: #5. "ano sa" ("hey, you know....")

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

--------

The bright lights of the city intermingled with the stars in the sky and created a romantic backdrop for the people milling through the streets of Beika. Couples, young and old, held hands and kissed. They smiled adoringly at each other in the midst of their starlit evening. However, the Metropolitan Police Department was hard at work as usual; they were wrapping up for the day. Sirens wailed with the sounds of traffic and the beats of top 40 pop music.

Takagi and Satou had made an arrest and thwarted a bank robbery midway through. They had been investigating the burglary ring for a few months now and had finally been able to determine when their next move would be. Takagi had gone undercover as a mild mannered bank manager and Satou a loan officer. When the partners and the rest of their undercover team had turned the tables on the thieves, the criminals had no choice but to drop their weapons immediately.

"Satou-san, great job today. You were very impressive." A tall young man came over to congratulate Satou, who had spearheaded the effort. Kamizawa Heru was a 'detective on loan' and had been brought over to lend his expertise. He was a rising star in the Nagano district.

Takagi scowled. Kamizawa was nice enough but just a bit too chummy with his partner and object of his affection. Granted, he had no right to actually be jealous but as far as he knew there was no cure to his lovesickness, except for the obvious. That didn't look like it would be happening anytime soon, either.

Satou smiled. "Thanks to everybody, really. We've been working day and night on this case. Right Takagi-kun?" She patted him on the shoulder and he grinned. "Especially you, I saw you looking at a financial dictionary, Satou-san. Did you want to make sure you sounded convincing?" He teased.

"It's that kind of dedication that we look for in Nagano, Satou-san." Kamizawa interrupted and reached for Satou's elbow, gently guiding her away from Takagi. "Satou-san, I know you're very dedicated to your team here but I think you'd move up the ranks much quicker in Nagano. I'd even volunteer to be your partner if you like. " Kamizawa flashed her a incredible smile. "You've got a lot of talent, Satou-san, there aren't many cops like you around anymore."

Takagi wasn't standing far off, after all up until a minute ago he had been a part of the conversation, but hearing Kamizawa's talk made his blood run cold. What the-?

"Hey, you know… why don't we grab a bite to eat and talk this over some more, Satou-san? I found this great place last week. Takagi, you can finish up here, right?" Mr. Hotshot waived his hand in Takagi's general direction.

Satou frowned. "I don't think we need to go out to dinner. I can give you my answer right now. Kamizawa-kun, I appreciate your concern and all the work you've done over the past couple of months but I'm not going anywhere. My father was with this department… and now I am too. Besides…" Satou casually linked her arm through Takagi's. "I already have a partner."

Takagi couldn't even begin to imagine how quickly his heart was turning cartwheels but he steeled himself. "We make a pretty great team, don't you think Kamizawa?"

The detective raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I suppose you do. Well, Satou-san, remember-" Kamizawa smiled knowingly. "My offer is always on the table." He finished before sauntering off.

Satou chuckled and stepped back. "I can't believe that guy. As if I put this together all by myself! Everyone worked hard on this bust, not just me. Just wait until this makes Megure's gossip rounds."

Takagi imagined being shoved into the interrogation room, _again_. He rolled his eyes. "They will all know in a matter of minutes."

"Well, I'll say head out and save the reports for the morning. Hey you know…" She turned to look at him. "We should grab some noodles around the corner together. I'm not really up to karaoke tonight, what do you say?" She smiled up at him and once again his heart fluttered.

All right, so maybe he did not have anything to worry about… at least when it came to ambitious detectives from other districts.

"I'm in." Together they walked out into the busy streets and Takagi linked his hand with hers. He held his breath for what seemed like forever but he felt her fingers intertwine with his. Satou smiled warmly at him and pressed their hands closer. "Let's go, then."

--`--`--

The End

--`--`--


	20. Race!

Title: Race  
Author/Artist: magic_truth  
Pairing: Satou/Takagi  
Fandom: Detective Conan  
Theme: #25. Fence

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

--`--`--

I'm on a date with Satou. Well, we're jogging but that still counts, right? Jogging is a date. We're together… you could say that we are also engaging in a physical activity at the same time. That sounds much dirtier than I thought it would.

_Freudian slip._

No, not a Freudian slip. That's just an odd way to string words together. After all, we are engaging in a physical activity. Jogging is physical. It's kind of the poor man's running but jogging is still physical. We're both jogging. At the same time… right next to each other. Okay, fine maybe she's a bit ahead of me due to my daydreaming but we're still together. I have now officially used the word jogging far too often.

Granted, Satou said we should start jogging to make sure we stay in top physical shape. But hey, we're jogging together, right? It's a couples activity! Couples that exercise together, stay together right? Somebody has said that before, right? If not, well I'm saying it now. Although, we're not wearing matching track suits. Satou's wearing a purple track jacket and black pants, I can't wear purple! Not that there's anything wrong with wearing purple. Purple is fun, purple is festive! The Kaitou Kid used purple smoke at his getaway last night…

… the Kaitou Kid might not be the best example to bring up.

"Takagi-kun, you're falling behind! Let's go!" Satou glares at me.

"Sorry! I was just thinking of something!" I have to stop daydreaming. She is going to catch on to me, considering I've probably turned red.

She's laughing at me now, I can tell. "Oh, about what?" She asks me does she know? How does she always know?

"Nothing! Nothing just that… I'll race you to the fence!" I say loudly and point to the wire fence a few hundred feet off. Great, now she's going to kick my butt.

Her eyes blaze blue. "Ok, if I win I get to choose my prize. Deal?" She asks.

"Deal." But before I finish she takes off. I run after her.

Neither of us is in bad shape but she's still ahead of me. I push my legs a bit harder and thank years of police training when I start to catch up to her.

Satou looks back at me and grins but keeps running. Has she been practicing on days off or something? How is she still this far ahead? She's always ahead of me though, I'm always trying to catch up to her. Then again, I've never really minded as long as she didn't mind having me around.

A final burst of adrenaline flows through me and I manage to reach her. We're almost to the fence—

—and her hand reaches out to grab it.

We both collapse against the fence and try to catch our breath. Hey, that wasn't so bad. I'm in great shape! I'm a detective, damn it! Of course I am!

I turn to Satou. "So, what's your prize?"

Satou straightens suddenly and before I know what's going on, she's kissing me.

This is not the first time this has happened but since my heart is still beating like crazy and adrenaline is pulsing through my veins, it feels like fireworks all over again.

She deepens the kiss but then leans away. "Well, now I don't mind that you won." I say.

Satou laughs. "That wasn't my prize. See that noodle shop? You're buying me lunch." She links her arm through mine and we start to walk over.

Theory confirmed. Jogging is definitely still a date.

--`--`--

The End.

--`--`--

A/N: This is not the story I had originally planned but I think it turned out ok! Ta-Da! I managed to churn out a story in the two month frame, without losing my pairing. Miracle, I know. Thanks for reading!


	21. Reason

Title: Reasons  
Author/Artist: sapphirestars/magic_truth  
Pairing: Satou/Takagi  
Fandom: Detective Conan  
Theme: #10 '#10'

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

--`--`--

It was a late night and Satou was still at work; she had been procrastinating on paperwork the entire week and now she was paying for it. Takagi had left for the day earlier, having promised Chiba a night watching the soccer game at the local karaoke bar. In fact, most of their friends were there and both Yumi and Takagi had tried cajoling her into coming along but she had steadfastly refused.

Shuffling through forms, she came across a small blue envelope. Puzzled, she tore it open and a crème colored letter popped out. She opened it and it read:

_There's a curious holiday in America called Thanksgiving where Americans give thanks by eating a lot of food, or something like that. There's some big parade and they shop the next day. Anyhow, I figured that in that spirit of giving thanks I'd let you know why I'm thankful for you._

_Because you're a bit older and therefore wiser and let's face it time and again you've proven to have more sense._

_Because you're the best partner any officer could ask for. Or any person, really._

_Because you make me laugh. Though I did not appreciate the fake snake, for your information._

_Because you always keep a cool head, even when I'm freaking out I know you're there staying calm and in control._

_Because you're my best friend and you've always been supportive since the first day we've met. I hope I've done the same for you._

_Because you believe in me even when I'm not sure I believe in myself._

_Because you're curious and inquisitive. You're always searching and asking questions, which explains why you're the best at what you do._

_Because you were patient and waited for me, even when you had others just waiting for you to give them a sign. _

_Because even though you've accepted me as I am, I still want to be smarter, better and braver for you._

_Because you love me and though I'll wonder why for the rest of my life, I'm grateful just the same._

_I love you,_

_Takagi Wataru_

She sighed. "Oh, you idiot." Satou wiped her eyes and sniffed but it didn't matter tears kept rolling down her cheeks.

"I love you too."

Satou whirled around and Takagi was standing by the doorway. She rushed over to him and he swept her in his arms. Moments later, they walked out arms linked around the other, paperwork forgotten.

--`--`--

The End

--`--`--

A/N: One day I am going to learn my lesson and not leave these until the last possible second. Special thanks to candyland, who encouraged me in the couple hours it took me to wrote this and helped me come up with the idea! Thanks for reading you _lovely and patient_ people!


	22. White

Title: White

Author: sapphirestars

Pairing: Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako

Fandom: Detective Conan

Theme: #27 Overflow

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

--`--`--

She didn't understand how she was supposed to remember this day. There was so much white and so many flowers. Flowers everywhere and in the bouquet in her hand. Her vision blurred

Her heart thudded with emotion, thoughts raced through her head. Everyone wanted a picture or to watch them dance. They swayed to a popular love song on the radio… probably by Okino Yoko.

She felt overwhelmed and her throat hitched. Why did they invite so many people?

Takagi nudged her and she looked up. He winked at her and smiled. "I know." Satou hugged him closer and sighed.

She would always remember this day.

--`--`--

The End.

--`--`--

A/N: Short and sweet, I hope. This is just an image I had in my head because I imagine that someone like Satou wouldn't exactly be jumping for joy at the prospect of all that wedding craziness. Hope you enjoyed!


	23. Magicians and Murder

Title: Magicians and Murders

Author: magic_truth

Pairing: Takagi Wataru/Satou Miwako

Fandom: Detective Conan

Theme: #9 Dash

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

Note: Please read candyland's **No Little Plans**! I'm playing in her fic verse and it'll make more sense!

****

Officers are on duty 24/7. Satou felt strongly about it but that didn't stop her from enjoying herself on a date with Takagi after their shift was over. Nonetheless, she wasn't very surprised when they both received a call from Megure, it was part of their job description.

A dead body had been discovered at the local high school and he wanted them to head over immediately. Megure was dispatching forensics as well and he would meet them there. They didn't waste any time driving over.

Takagi walked over to the first responder and got an update on the situation. Satou walked over to the auditorium. A pale faced janitor guided her to the stairs so she could head to the stage. Satou approached slowly but stopped dead at the sight before her.

"Takagi-kun! Come quickly, please!" She called and Takagi rushed over but he too stopped. "What the hell?"

A young man was spread across the stage on his back. A bullet wound was evident on his chest and blood surrounded the body. Satou beside the man and noticed the bullets beside him, marked by different designs.

"It's in English." Takagi looked at the white card beside the dead man. "_Lower the curtain_."

"Lower the curtain?" Satou repeated. "What does that mean? Like at the end of a performance?"

Takagi frowned. "I suppose so but… what's the reference? What performance? I guess he could fancy this his 'masterpiece…" He trailed off.

Satou approached the janitor. "Do you know this man? Does he work at this school?"

The man shook his head. "I've never seen him before and he doesn't look like one of the teachers or administrators we have here. I could be wrong, though."

She nodded and gestured to one of the officers that had arrived with Megure. "Get his statement, will you?" She joined the inspector and Takagi.

Satou began to jot notes down. "He had bruising around the neck but nothing around his face. Possible asphyxiation? There was bruising around the wrist and ankles so he was bound and likely struggled."

"Inspector, there's a lot of blood around the victim and forensics just confirmed a wound at the back of the head." Takagi said. "But that message is what's bothering me. This doesn't seem like a one off murder."

"I'd tried to reach Kudo-kun," Megure said. "But Ran-chan said his flight hadn't arrived yet. He's been out of town working on a case in Kyoto. He won't be back for another few days but I have a feeling he'll want to see this."

Satou turned to look at the body again. "Have there been any murders on stage in show business? Any actors that have murdered a costar? Anything that would serve as a possible reference?"

"There was that case in New York a few years ago. The play was called "Golden Apple" and if I recall Kudo Yukiko solved that case." Takagi said.

"Kudo-kun was there as well." Megure said. "I'll have to ask him about that too. I don't remember how that body was found.

Satou looked back at her notebook once more. She didn't like the situation; it was rare that they didn't have any leads or suspects. It also wasn't everyday that you came across a crime scene like this one. She admitted that she did not have the mind of Kudo Shinichi but she was a good investigator and she'd solved many cases. This time she was coming up with nothing.

"I know." Takagi muttered and she looked up. "I mean obviously he was whacked with a blunt object and knocked out. He was probably suffocated. But that doesn't tell us anything about who did this. Forensics hasn't found a fingerprint and I have no idea what that message means."

They both looked at the stage. How were they going to find who was responsible?

****

Hours later, Satou and Takagi were driving away from the high school and heading to Takagi's apartment. "This wasn't an amateur." Takagi said. "It's too perfect. The whole scene was staged so meticulously! No fingerprints! Amateurs make all sorts of mistakes but this was flawless."

Satou shook her head. "There's no such thing as a perfect murder but we're going to need help on this one. I have a feeling not even Kudo-kun would have been able to solve this one in one night."

They were still discussing the scene when they arrived at his apartment. "I have a feeling this person has murdered before and we're going to be working a lot of late nights on this case." Satou sighed.

"Well, we can't do anymore tonight unless you want to go back to the office… I'm kidding!" Takagi laughed. "Let's have dinner, working in homicide gives you a large appetite." He kissed her as she rolled her eyes.

"Clearly you lack my amazing sense of humor." Satou said.

****

Takagi and Satou took a seat in the conference room. They had rushed over from their department after completing witness accounts. Several homicide detectives were gathered along with detectives from other departments.

"Nakamori is here." Takagi said. "Doesn't he head up the operation that's always chasing the Kaitou Kid?

"I guess since we're looking at a possible serial killer they're bringing in all perspectives." Satou shrugged. "Besides, it looks like the murderer was mimicking magician's deaths. It couldn't hurt. "

When the room quieted, Nakamori rose. "This is Kuroba Kaito. Don't let his age fool you, he knows just about everything there is to know about magic and magicians. He's the one who actually tipped us off in the first place."

Satou's raised a brow. Kuroba Kaito… wasn't he the son of the famous magician Kuroba Toichi?

"Kaito-kun has been going through some of our cold cases, and he has a few that he thinks might be relevent to the recent homicide." Nakamori finished and sat down.

Kaito was handsome, if messily so. He had bright blue eyes and his brown hair shot off in all directions. Satou looked around and a few of women blushing and she grinned.

The young man gave everyone a charming smile. "I'll be glad to assist in any way that I can."

A magician brought on to investigate? This would be interesting.

****

To be continued…

****

A/N: So, I was reading candyland's **No Little Plans** when an idea came to me. What if I could play in her fic-verse? With her blessing I've written a bit about the murder in her fic from the perspective of our favorite polic couple! I really love what she's written so far so I'll be working at this for a bit. Please review and I hope you all enjoyed!


	24. Chance Meeting

Title: Chance Meeting  
Author/Artist: magic_truth  
Pairing: Satou/Takagi  
Fandom: Detective Conan  
Theme: #23. candy

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

* * *

***continued from last chapter***

* * *

Satou glanced at some of the other female officers trying to hide their blush at the young magician. Takagi nudged her. "Look! It's Kudo-kun!" He whispered.

So it was. Meguire-keibu was introducing Kudo Shinichi as another special consultant to the case. "Wow." She murmured. "We get help from two boy wonders." Takagi hid his smirk behind his hand. "We do need all the help we can get, though." She said.

She brought out an extra folder of case information from her bag. She grabbed a couple pieces of mint candy for herself and Takagi.

Tokishiro, one of the high ranking officers, stood and began to speak. "We're bringing in some of our best and brightest on this one. For the sake of those who are new to the case, let's start at the beginning."

Satou and Takagi began scribbling notes, although this was information they already had. It was good to have it on paper again; she could be sure that it would stay in her mind.

"…Chung Ling Soo. Nakamori-keibu brought this possibility to our attention after a conversation with Kuroba-kun about the odd ways magicians tend to die. It was for this reason that we asked him to consult on this case." The officer continued.

Wait, what? She glanced at Takagi and he too looked confused. This could not be an amateur. They were trying to imitate the way a magician had died. Was it possible that there were other cases like this?

Her suspicions were confirmed when Kuroba-kun began to speak. He talked about the different cases he had gone over as far as two years back. There were five cases. He started with the first one, a man named Yamazaki Satoru, his body had been found behind the counter of a magic shop.

She glanced up when she heard Shiratori spoke up. He asked whether this was similar to a magician's murder. Kuroba confirmed it. There was another man found outside a hospital, his body cut open. His appendix and a small part of his intestine were removed. A magician had died that way?

She heard Kudo-kun's voice. "Harry Houdini." The young detective had a look of intense focus. She glanced at Takagi, who shared the same look. She smiled to herself. She had never doubted her deductive skills, nor Takagi's. Still, she knew that young men like Kudo were more talented. She shrugged and went back to her notes, she wasn't exactly chopped liver.

She continued to jot down information. She heard Kudo interject with speculation about opportunity and possible victim profiles. The victims were all males and they were aged 19-25. They were young men that seemingly were overpowered by another person. The person was most likely male, but not necessarily. The last two bodies had been burned, similar to a magician who had died as well as his body double. It seemed that there was only one person responsible. Was the murderer someone they all knew? Someone they trusted?

Kuroba was wrapping up his findings. They had missed these all along. When you put them all together yes it was clear that there was a pattern, but if no one thought to look they were freakishly conducted murders.

"If I may?" Kudo spoke up. "At the risk of sounding sexist, I suspect that our killer is a male. Not to say that a woman couldn't have done it, but our victim profile consists of young, healthy males. To first overpower the victim, and then move them? It just seems like a lot of physical strength would be needed to do all that."

Satou spoke up. "It seems logical to me, although I don't think we can completely rule out the alternative possibility." There was still something bothering her though. She glanced at her notes and looked to Kuroba. "My question is why magicians?"

Nakamori spoke up. "Resentment? Twisted admiration? It's hard to say."

Resentment against who, though? The magicians? Was there an upstart magician who'd never made it and decided to take out his frustration on others? Others began to speak up and the discourse grew livelier.

Takagi leaned toward her. "Even with these connections, these cases are not new. If there are people that knew something at the time, then their memories may have faded by now. "

Satou nodded. "Exactly. This is all useful information but we're going to need to do some more digging. It'll be helpful to look at those files ourselves. Find out who we need to pay a visit."

The meeting came to an end and the officers began to file out of the conference hall. They both stood in the hallway.

"I'm going to stay and ask Megure-keibu a few questions." Takagi said. "I'll see you back at HQ?"

"Sure thing." She said and he gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading out.

Satou looked around and saw Kuroba begin to head out. "Wait, Kuroba-kun!" She called out.

He turned to look at her. "Satou-keiji." He smiled.

She paused. "Oh, you know who I am?"

"You spoke up at the meeting but yes, you're a popular officer." He chuckled and glanced at the male officers around them, giving Takagi the side-eye.

She smiled as well. "Well, I'm glad you're on the task force. It'll be crucial to have your expertise. By any chance, do you have any relation to Kuroba Toichi?"

He nodded. "He was my father but I was very young when he died."

"Oh, I'm sorry, of course. I just was wondering since you seem very knowledgeable about magic and well…" She finished awkwardly and tried to bring the subject around.

"You asked why the connection to the magicians during the meeting. It is interesting, isn't it? I haven't made the connection yet." He confessed but his expression was much lighter than it had been a moment ago.

"Yes, is it a grudge against these young men? I mean it seems that the murderer is a fan of these magicians, or at the very least very interested in them. But none of the victims were magicians themselves." Kaito watched her speculate and smiled. He was glad that they had the best detectives working on the case.

"Wow, Satou-keiji, your department may not need me after all!" He laughed.

"I don't know about that. After all, you're the one that dug through the casework and found the links. Besides, you'll have to show me a magic trick while you work with us. I've always wanted to learn!" She said.

"I might just be able to give you a position as a part-time magician's assistant." He grinned.

"I'll look forward to it." She patted his shoulder. "I'll see you soon Kuroba-kun."

"Bye Satou-keiji."

Satou continued to walk out of the building, confident that with this much brain power at hand they would make serious breaks in the case. She looked back at Kuroba and noticed that he was now talking to Kudo-kun.

_Those two and Hattori Heiji should join the MPD_

To be continued…

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that! This was me playing in candy-chan's No Little Plans world again. I had fun writing how Takagi and Satou would behave in a meeting as well as integrating parts of Candy's story into mine.

I would also like to say *ahem* this is not an endorsement for people to begin pairing Satou and Kaito. My heart is with Takagi and Satou always, because they are adorable. *whispers* I would totally read that *whispers* Thanks for reading!


	25. In Your Eyes

Title: In Your Eyes

Author/Artist: magic_truth

Pairing: Satou Miwako/Takagi Wataru

Fandom: Detective Conan

Theme: #15 perfect blue

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

* * *

Her breath caught. His eyes were so lovely, so clear. He loved her; he always had.

Satou had spent a long time denying herself the chance to fall in love. She'd lost her father and she remembered how distraught her mother had been. She never wanted to leave anyone feeling that way, especially considering she shared her father's line of work. Then she'd lost Matsuda-kun, a man she never had the chance to fall in love with.

Things were different now. Takagi was in the police force as well. He was her partner and he'd protected her for the past few years. He had also permitted her to protect him, which was just as important.

They were sitting on a park bench and the sun was setting. He was kneeling on the grass and he held her hands.

His eyes were so blue and so honest. Everything he felt for her reflected clearly in his gaze. She could feel her chest swelling with so much emotion that she felt it would burst. Instead her eyes filled and tears began to fall down her face.

He looked stricken. "I'm sorry, Sa-"

"No." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. "Wataru." She said simply.

This time she could see her eyes in his and she knew she would never love anyone more. She felt out of breath. "I love you. Of course, I'll marry you."

He rose and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her and she wished she hadn't wasted so much time getting to this moment.

* * *

The End

_A/N: I took a little break from the other arc I've been working on. I really wanted to write something sweet for them. I've just had a rush of love for this couple lately. Hope you enjoyed!_


	26. Rolemodels

Title: Rolemodel  
Author/Artist: magic_truth  
Pairing: Satou/Takagi  
Fandom: Detective Conan  
Theme: #22 cradle

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did… I'd probably give Takagi a huge hug and tell him he was adorable.

* * *

Satou walked into the baby's nursery. She was due any day now and the room had been ready for the past month. She sat next to the cradle; it was past midnight but she couldn't sleep.

She began her maternity leave a month ago. Though she'd been relegated to mostly paperwork for the past few months, there was only so much you could do in an office at eight months pregnant. Besides, the most common thing you heard was "Gosh Satou-san… are you having twins?"

She loved her job more than anything… well almost anything. Takagi and the soon to be born baby ranked higher but she still loved being a policewoman. It'd been heartbreaking to leave and though she knew she would be coming back after a few months she had some concerns.

Satou had lost her father at a young age while he'd been on duty. Hell, she'd nearly lost Takagi while he was on duty. She'd nearly died herself many times and wondered if it was selfish to continue her career. Should both she and Takagi take a backseat and stick to paperwork? Maybe she could start her own detective agency like Mouri-san? That didn't seem less dangerous, though.

"Can't sleep again?"

Satou looked back startled at her husband standing in the hallway. "Something like that. I've been… do you think going back to work is a good idea?"

Takagi looked surprised. "What? Of course I do! Who else is going to be my partner?"

Satou laughed. "Shirtatori-kun? You're both so fond of each other."

He shuddered. "You're going to make _me_ quit. He would be the last person I'd trust with my life." His expression grew serious. "Why would you even think about it?"

Satou sighed. "You know why. I love my job but I'd hate for our daughter to grow up the way I did, without my dad. I love my mother but that day…"

Takagi shook his head and hugged her. "Miwako, we can't control what happens to us. We could both retire and I could walk across the street and have a car fall on me. Then Kudo-kun would be called to investigate. Along with the shonen-tantei."

She laughed. "Kudo-kun would absolutely avenge you. It would take him a day at most. Maybe another day to figure out how the car fell on you. This conversation is taking a morbid turn."

Takagi tilted her chin to look at him. "You're the best officer I've ever met and I say that without any bias. You're smart, brave and beautiful. You're up for a promotion! Our daughter is going to be incredibly proud to have you as a mother."

He grinned. "Besides Noriko needs a strong female role model. Though for all we know, she'll decide to be an attorney instead."

Satou perked up. "Or a teacher! That would be nice. Peaceful… except for the classroom full of children."

Takagi kissed her. "I think we still have some time to nudge her into a career choice, my dear."

"As long as it's a safe one."

"Because I'm sure that worked well with you, Miwako."

"Are you trying to imply I was a disobedient child, Wataru?"

"No, not at all."

The End.

* * *

A/N: Something short and sweet while I work on a slightly longer and more depressing story for them. Thanks for reading all these years guys! We're almost done!


End file.
